Off Broadway

I realize that some of my ideas tend to be as simple as taking something we did as kids, and applying that to adulthood.

It certainly isn't that I think that's a bad idea, I wouldn't suggest it so much if I did, but I want to avoid this becoming predictable or repetitive. Maybe it's too late. Maybe it doesn't matter.

Anyway, this idea is probably rooted in childhood somewhere.

The idea being, get a small group of friends together and write and act out your own play. Make it an original work. Invite other friends. Make a production out of it. But never let it get so serious that someone stops having fun.

You could do a play on some hilarious party even knows about, or a dramatic relationship that has now moved into a territory where it can be mocked.

You wouldn't want to get so specific that the average viewer (like friends of friends or significant others, basically people who might not get the inside joke.) might get bored or confused, but draw on your own experiences and trust they are interesting enough to carry the day. Take a This American Life approach to theatre.

Set up chairs and couches in the backyard. Encourage heckling.

There are a lot of reasons I would be in favor of this. Number one, it gets a group of people to interact in a way they may not have before. Number two, it's fun for the audience. Number three, it's creative and gives something back to the greater collective. And number three, it's a way to fill those nights when everyone seems to be saying, "I don't know, what do you want to do?" into their cell phones.