Write a brief play for a Mason Arts 250 performance
A new call for one-act plays or recitations joins a busy cultural summer season in Annandale.
The Mason District Arts Council is looking for community members to pen original short-form scripts or perform recitations of historical narratives.
This project is part of the larger Mason Arts 250 initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Related story: Mason Arts 250: Reimagining the Ideas of the American Revolution
Community members are invited to submit one-act plays applicable to the 250th anniversary to be included in an afternoon of performances, poetry, and music on June 20 at the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia.
That event will showcase the selected works, along with original poems from the ongoing Mason District Council’s Poetry Contest and a performance by special guest reenactors.
The Pozez JCC is located at 8900 Little River Turnpike just west of Annandale. The event, starting at 2 p.m., is free and open to the public.
Individuals interested in submitting a short play or recitation for the event are asked to declare their intent to participate by emailing [email protected] with “Mason Arts 250 Theater Submission” as the subject by May 8. Completed scripts or texts will be due on June 1.
Pieces may be memorized or presented as table reads, and should not exceed 12 minutes. All students, faculty, and community members in Fairfax County are encouraged to submit a piece for consideration.
The Mason District Arts Council’s series of events in June for Mason Arts 250 is aimed at reimagining the ideas of the American Revolution and engaging the public through the arts.
“From our founding generation 250 years ago, we inherited an aspiration to create something that didn’t exist,” says council chair James Albright. “In a world of kings, they imagined self-government. They called people equal.”
“Our history is one of ebbs and flows. We make progress, and we regress,” Albright says. “What will be next? What will the legacy of our time be? What will our future be? Now it is our time to imagine together what doesn’t yet exist. We call on the power of artists/creatives and community members to help all of us together reimagine the ideas of the American Revolution.”
Related story: The Mason District Arts Council hosts a poetry contest
Mason Arts 250 includes a wishing tree project and poetry contest, already underway, along with the following events:
- June 7, 4 p.m. – NoVa Lights Chorale at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bailey’s Crossroads.
- June 13, 4 p.m. – America the Beautiful concert, featuring students, professional musicians, and a community parent orchestra at John Calvin Presbyterian Church, with an instrument “petting zoo” for kids at 3 p.m.
- June 20, 2 p.m. – Oratory and plays performed by community residents and actors at the Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia.
- June 27, 11 a.m. – A community mural-painting activity at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space in Annandale.