Shotgun fest kicks off at the Crystal

There might not be any actual guns involved in Shotgun Theatre’s 10-minute play festival, but a group of University of Montana drama and dance students are firing their ammo anyway.

Tonight and tomorrow, the Crystal Theatre will host three short plays, as well as some surprises.

Short play festivals have been a longstanding tradition at the University.

“We do it every semester, and it’s all student-run,” said producer Karie Pietrykowski. “But this time, it’s a little more than just plays. We’ve got a lot of variety acts performing too.”

Those “variety” acts include a full program of tap dancing, singing, acrobatics, improv and belly dancing.

“We asked around the department to see if anyone wanted a chance to perform at the festival, and we got a huge response,” said producer Martha Neslen, who is also acting in two of the plays.

The event’s unusual name came from how the festival was thrown together, Pietrykowski said.

“‘Shotgun’ was just a way to describe some of the scattered, quick decisions we had to make in organizing it.”

After only four weeks of production preparation and two weeks of rehearsal, the performers pulled the trigger on the festival last night. Among the featured plays were: “Limbo” by Sara Greenfield, about a girl who is diagnosed with Huntington ’s disease; and “Interview,” by Ryan Fish, which follows an applicant through an off-kilter job interview.

“We’re trying to create an experience for everyone,” Neslen said, “something engaging in only ten minutes.”

Pietrykowski acknowledged as well that it’s all about the crowd.

“The Crystal lends itself very well to festivals like this,” she said. “It’s an intimate stage where the actors and the audience can form a kind of community.”

Shotgun Theatre runs at the Crystal Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 7. Student tickets are available at the door for $5. General admission is $7.