The Order for May 28, 2004

No Shame Timeline   Who's Who at No Shame Theatre	No Shame Script Library New scripts in the library from: Ristau Levine Johnston Side Effects Capron Silverman Ross No Shame Archives Press Clippings Photo Album Art Gallery
Live Arts (123 East Water Street)

How to No Shame, aka No Shame Manifesto

Live Arts Has No Shame

If you ever sat in an audience and said, "I could do that," here’s your chance.

No Shame Theatre, a quirky late-night venue for short original performance pieces opened for public view and participation at Live Arts on April 27, 2001 and has been going strong ever since.

The format is simple: create a performance piece in any style (play, monologue, poem, dance, music, mime, puppetry—anything!) Pieces cannot be longer than five minutes. Rehearse it to your satisfaction—or pull actors from those at hand the night of the performance and have them read it cold—it's up to you! Just get there early enough to claim an available slot in the lineup and take your place in the spotlight. Be sure to bring enough printed scripts for your actors and an extra one for the stage manager with your light cues and contact information on it (this copy will be given to the light board operator). There is always a mix of talents—some new to the stage and others you may have known for years.

You never know what will be available, so pieces should be self-contained (i.e, bring your own props). Performers won't have much more idea what to expect than the audience.

And there are some rules. You can't break any laws, you can't break the theatre, you can't break the audience, and you can't break yourself. Oh, and no open flame!

No Shame is intended to be a low-risk performance environment where writers and performers can explore any aspect of the theatre they choose and not have fear of failure be the first obstacle they face in attempting success. It's short and it's fast, so if your piece doesn’t exactly fly, no one will be pointing at the wreckage long. Likewise, if you don’t like something, chances are at least one of the pieces will tickle your fancy. On any given evening, you might hear a poem about stealing eyeballs in the rain, see a dance piece about global warming, watch a puppet show about violence in the schools, or witness a moving drama illustrating some important fundamental truth—to be followed by a delightful ditty on a hand saw.

Seating is limited and all participants, including the audience, must pay $5 at the door.

It’s your theatre: you make it what you want it to be.