For 23 years, Know Theatre in Binghamton has been bringing together visual artists, playwrights, composers and performers for an unusual creative experiment. The theater's annual Playwrights and Artists Festival returns this month, offering audiences an opportunity to see how a work of visual art can inspire both new plays and original music.
Tim Gleason, who has helped keep the festival going since its beginning, says the combination of artistic disciplines is what makes the event so distinctive.
"It's kind of unique in that sense," Gleason says. "And I think that's what draws people back to it." He also credits the post-performance discussions, which give audiences an opportunity to talk about what they've experienced with the artists involved.
The festival began as a tribute to Leonard Melfi and Harry Koutoukas, two important figures in experimental theater. Over the years, its format has evolved. Today, visual artists provide the starting point, with playwrights creating short works inspired by the artwork. Composers also contribute original music based on the same pieces.
The selection process is deliberately anonymous. This year, the festival received 53 play submissions from across the country. Readers evaluate the scripts without knowing the identities of the writers, narrowing the field before Gleason and the festival organizers make the final selections.
Among this year's submissions are works by local playwright Shirley Goodman and Atlanta-based John Mabee, both familiar names to the festival. The other playwrights being produced are newcomers whose work has never appeared at Know Theatre before.
Gleason says the festival has produced 138 short plays over its 23-year history, with submissions coming from throughout the United States and as far away as New Zealand, Canada and South America.
The six performances are divided among three different works of visual art. Each evening features music and two short plays inspired by one particular artwork. The selections change from night to night, with the schedule repeated the following weekend so audiences have another opportunity to see the different programs.
After each performance, audiences are invited to coffee and cookies in the lobby before returning to the theater for a discussion with the playwrights, artists, composers, directors and actors. Gleason says these conversations are often lively, and he particularly enjoys being able to direct questions to the people responsible for what audiences have just seen.
"It's an experience even for us inside of it because it's like, I don't know what's going to come through the door," he says. "How did that play come from looking at that? ... You never know. And that's the beauty of it."
This year's festival involves 17 actors and six directors, with performers drawn from several area theater companies. Gleason himself is directing one of the plays and acting in another, although he admits that, as the festival's producer, he sometimes doesn't see the finished productions until the audience does.
The Playwrights and Artists Festival also provides financial awards for participating writers, including prizes for the best play, artistic merit and an audience favorite. Tickets are $15 for an individual performance or $40 for admission to all six.
Know Theatre's 23rd annual Playwrights and Artists Festival takes place November 20, 21 and 22, and again November 27, 28 and 29. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at Know Theatre, 74 Carroll Street in Binghamton. For tickets and additional information, visit KnowTheatre.org.