Audience members attending opening weekend of iDiOM Theater’s “Serial Killers” competitive play tournament at the Sylvia Center for the Arts won’t be required to join a firing squad, but they will act as executioners of sorts.
After watching five 10-minute plays penned, directed and performed by local writers and thespians on Friday, Feb. 25, those in attendance will be asked to cast their vote for the production they’d least like to see continue. After the second show of the night, ballots will be tallied and the team with the most votes will be instantly eliminated. On Saturday, Feb. 26, five new plays will face the same fate.
“The audience is the serial (play) killers in the Serial Killers equation,” Sylvia Center Artistic Director Glenn Hergenhahn-Zhao confirmed, noting this is the first iteration of the event since before the pandemic.
“Serial Killers is always one of our biggest undertakings, and most-attended events,” he said. “It’s great to have it back in the space, and it feels like another step toward normalcy. It’s also the most performers we’ve had for quite a while. We have some rules in place to reduce cast sizes since we have 10 separate teams performing, but we’ve also installed new protocols to keep everyone safe through the five-week run.”
In addition to requiring masking and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test at the door, reduced capacity in the Sylvia Center’s Lucas Hicks Theater means attendance will be capped at 80 people for each show. Hergenhahn-Zhao said seats fill up quickly, and it’s best to get tickets in advance. Passes are available for those who want to continue their killing spree every Friday or Saturday night through March, and an all-shows pass gets you a deal if you want to come aboard for the full ride.
During the first weekend of serial shows, patrons can expect to encounter puppets, painters, punk rockers, drag queens, intrigue and mystery among the short plays. Friday night sees “Ghost Ranch,” “The End of Tragedy,” “On the Docks,” “What We Felt” and “Thread” on the docket. Saturday brings “Soggy Bottoms,” “Plus One,” “Kiss of Death,” “Holy Waters” and “Last Call” to the stage.
Hergenhahn-Zhao said there isn’t a thematic requirement for the playwrights, but that in the past most works have tended to be comedic in nature. That said, dramatic works have taken the grand prize before. The end result, he said, is ultimately in the hands of the audience. With $4,000 in prize money at stake — including $1,500 for the winning team — those filling the seats on show nights wield a whole lot of power.
For those who can’t commit to the whole shebang, a recap team made up of actors and writers who’ve watched all the plays will bring audiences up to speed about how the plays have progressed starting the second week of shows. This year, the team is made up of members in their teens to those in their 60s, and guest appearances can be expected. As someone who’s attended many Serial Killers shows since the format debuted in 2006, I can tell you that watching the recap can be one of the most entertaining parts of the evening.
By the time the action winds up on Saturday, March 26, only three teams will remain. This means the serial plays will be much longer than they were at the beginning, and the stakes will be a lot higher. Before you cast your vote, consider carefully what team you want to help murder, and which one you’d like to stay alive. They’ll be getting more than the cash prize, Hergenhahn-Zhao said, including “glory” and “bragging rights.”
But that’s not all. Often, the winning teams get to present their five episodes as a full-length play the following season. And when that happens, nobody can kill them off.
Serial Killers takes place at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturdays from Feb. 25 to March 26 at the Sylvia Center for the Arts, 207 Prospect St. Tickets for individual shows are $5-$15. Passes for all shows are available. Find out more at sylviacenterforthearts.org.
