Red Eye: The art of creativity and inclusion

Art: the expression and application of human creative imagination set in motion to produce works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

On the surface, the Red Eye Theatre Project at the Barrow-Civic Theatre is a 24-hour challenge to create and perform amateur plays. But for the nearly 50 people involved each cycle, it is an intimate experience of the craft, an expansion of their social circle and, for some, an emotional journey to greater belonging. 

Started in 2017, the program is spearheaded by Nicholas Hess and Brooke Lawrie with the help of a tight-knit group dedicated volunteers. 

"It's safe space where people are free to create unique work, build confidence and embrace themselves for who they are and what they can do,” is the description provided in the program.

To say it more concisely: All are welcome. 

This means new writers can try their hand at a script, first-time directors can learn the ropes and those with no acting resume can step on stage. It also means respecting individual identity, recognizing personal boundaries on topics, and pairing friends in productions as much as possible. 

Out of that atmosphere of inclusion and support grows art that goes beyond putting words on paper that end up on stage.

Over the years about 80 one-of-a-kind short plays have been performed. Each one stemming from words, formations and stage directions that were unknown until less than 24 hours before curtains up. It is raw theater and creativity at work.

Topics have varied from serious portrayals of divorce and loneliness to intentionally silly scripts involving vampires and witches. 

The latest batch of one-acts included plots about a news cast, professional wrestling, sundae toppings, a love triangle, body image and comic strip characters come to life. None of which existed until the writers conjured them for a chosen cast a measly nine hours before completed original scripts were due. 

The Red Eye name pays homage to how the writers stay up all night crafting scripts from scratch that the production team and actors work to perfect the in less than 12 hours the next day. 

It is a challenge that would seem intriguing to those with theater experience but is done in a manner that invites the newbies as well.

The recent production featured about 10 thespians new to the project, one first-time writer and two people making their directorial debuts. Mixed in with a contingent of locals were participants from Erie, Pittsburgh and Brookville. 

But the uniqueness of the endeavor goes beyond the new faces, gutsy performances and never-before-seen plays. It is a whole vibe. 

It is an experience that can't be adequately described in words or fully captured in photographs. And while it is true that no two Red Eye cycles are the same, they all contain the same guiding attributes. 

Red Eye is daring to create and share. Red Eye is to accept and be accepted. Red Eye is courage and encouragement. Red Eye is art! Perhaps in its purest form.

And we are so lucky to have it right in our back yard. ​​

This story was written by Jill Harry, who was among the six writers for this cycle of Red Eye Theatre.