from Asheville Citizen-Times - December 15, 2006

Anything goes at the No Shame Theatre as long as it's legal

There's no dawdling around at Asheville's No Shame Theatre, a nationwide impromptu and performance troupe for playwrights, actors, dancers and musicians that has found a new home at the N.C. Stage Company.

Written pieces are brought to the theater at 10 p.m. on the night of the show - and an hour later, they're performed on stage.

"The great thing about No Shame is you can do anything - you can write a scene, rehearse it and then bring it to (the theater) or you can show up as a writer, director or musician with nothing and get paired up with other artists," says Jonathon Frappier, development director at N.C. Stage. "It's a great mix of fully polished material and material that is created right there within that hour."

The vibe

The first 15 pieces at the door are accepted. Performers have an hour to rehearse before taking to the stage at 11 p.m.

"It really runs the gamut what we do," Frappier says. "We've had comedy, drama, tragedy, musicals and dance routines, basically anything that you can put on the stage."

Anything goes at the No Shame Theatre as long as it's legal, less than five minutes long, original, and performers are not allowed to break anything.

"We take everything. It's always a really nice eclectic mix. You never know what's going to happen," Frappier says.

The birth of No Shame Theatre

Todd Ristau, a University of Iowa undergraduate, started No Shame in 1986 using lights from his motorcycle to illuminate stage in the back of a pickup truck. The group was first called Midnight Madness.

"It rained every week we were out there," says Jeff Goode, a founding member. "We had about 30 people under umbrellas in the dark. It was fun, extremely casual and impromptu."

When the original performers left Iowa, they took No Shame with them, and it has since grown to more than 30 cities.

Expect the unexpected

No Shame is a chance to experience wildly themed works by a plethora of performers, while simultaneously witnessing a masterpiece or travesty in the making.

"The mystery of it is part of the reason people show up," says Chall Gray, playwright. "Some of it is going to be terrible and some of it will be brilliant. You never know what you are going to get. It's kind of guerrilla theatre."

Don't fear the theater

Every No Shame features a different emcee to host the show and develop a routine for the evening. "We always have a new No Shame Theater song that is written into every performance," Frappier says "Last time it was a spin off from 'Don't Fear the Reaper' (by 1970s rockers Blue Oyster Cult") - Don't Fear the Theater. Before that it was a funny ballad that someone wrote."

Expect a lot of diversity. "It's a wonderful vehicle for all of these artists to get together and create when they might otherwise not have the opportunity to do that," Frappier says.''It brings several different playwrights together for one evening of theater, which is really nice."

Mary Snow writes about entertainment. E-mail her at marykatsnow@yahoo.com.