365 Days/365 Plays: After 52 weeks, a sense of accomplishment and a blessing
On Nov. 10, Austin's part in a national theatrical event came to a close a stone's throw from where it started a year before
By Robert Faires, Fri., Nov. 23, 2007
What began with Granny Smith apples under a frosty night sky ended with marigolds bathed in the warm glow of hundreds of candles. On Nov. 17, 2006, Austin's participation in the national event called 365 Days/365 Plays was started with a performance on the Pfluger Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge, and on Nov. 10, 2007, Austin brought its part in this theatrical phenomenon to a close with a performance just a stone's throw away, on the Groten Stage of the Zachary Scott Theatre Center. Close to 200 people were on hand for the finale, which may not have boasted the stars, skyline, and river that served as backdrop for the launch, but what it lacked in natural spectacle (and freezing temperatures), the farewell performance made up for with a sense of accomplishment and of community. After all, 51 groups across the city – from professional theatre artists to middle-school students – had succeeded in performing all 365 plays that Pultizer prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks wrote from Nov. 13, 2002, to Nov. 12, 2003, and had produced them with Austin's characteristic variety and creativity. Plays were read in an apartment and performed at the Blanton Museum. Plays were done under the Zilker Christmas tree and filmed and put online (www.bayou-radio.com/365.htm). So the Nov. 10 event was more than just a performance of the plays in week 52; it was a celebration of all the performances from all 52 weeks. And host Zachary Scott Theatre Center, which was the coordinating entity for all of the Austin productions, made a point of thanking all the participants (with special thanks to heroic coordinators Michelle Fowler-Amato and Shannon Richey).
There was a nice sense of symmetry to the event, with it being produced by Zach and directed by Dave Steakley, just as the first week was, and with several of the actors who appeared in the first week performing again: Martin Burke, Les McGehee, Janis Stinson, and Jill Blackwood. And especially with the playwright again being present and appearing to be having as grand a time as she had the year before, despite having had only two hours' worth of sleep since Parks had opened her Broadway-bound musical about Ray Charles at Pasadena Playhouse the night before. If anything made the occasion sweeter, it was that she was joined by 365 producer Bonnie Metzgar, who interviewed some of the Austin participants for film documentation of the festival. As the final week of plays featured an appearance by the elephant-headed god Ganesha, Steakley gave the evening an Indian theme, with food catered by Taj Palace and a concluding dance by Natasha Raheja, of the Nritya Sangam Indian Dance Troupe. As she danced, extolling the virtues of the feminine power, Shakti, and seeking the compassion and blessings of the goddess Parvati, mother of Kartikeya and Ganesha, curtains behind her parted to reveal an altar overflowing with marigolds and hundreds of tea candles. It had the feel of a blessing, and indeed, looking back over the past 365 days, that's very much what this project was, for our city and for the nation. Thank you, Suzan-Lori Parks and Bonnie Metzgar, for giving it to us.
