Between 1942 and 1945, J. Robert Oppenheimer gathered the most brilliant minds of the age at Los Alamos, New Mexico to create something awesome and terrible.  The Manhattan Project - Cleveland Lab seeks to do the same for the Cleveland stage.


Just Because You're Paranoid
Doesn't Mean They Aren't After You!


We at The Manhattan Project know for a fact that you're not wrong to be paranoid, because we at The Manhattan Project represent that dreadful Deep State conspiracy that you're hiding from. But we have bad news: We see you, and the aluminum foil just makes you look silly. And not the fun manic pixie dream girl kind of silly, but the frightening manic pixie dream girl kind of silly.

Our playwrights have been hard at work generating sinister propeganda to ensare you in our New World Order endgame. Our upcoming awesome and terrible 10-minute plays are:
  • Vannevar Bush: Mastermind, or Innuendo? by Amanda van Allen
  • Who the Fuck is this Guy? by Val Kozlenko
  • & the Gayest Shit You'll Ever See by Kevin Latimer
  • Love, and Do as Thou Wilt by Travis Plats
The truth isn't out there, it's at Mahall's 20 Lanes in Lakewood.
Performance is this Wednesday, April 25 at 8:00pm! 


What exactly is The Manhattan Project - Cleveland Lab?

 
The Manhattan Project is a low-stakes, nonthreatening place for actors and playwrights to meet and work together.
 
Based on the Theatre Lab model taught at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and inspired by The Brooklyn Generator in New York, The Manhattan Project wants to introduce Cleveland actors and playwrights to each other by organizing a bi-monthly production of brand new 10-minute plays.  
 
Participating artists will meet early in the month and will be broken into teams, each with one playwright.  The playwright will then be given a writing prompt to write a new 10-minute play based on the prompt and including all the team's actors.  The rest of the evening the team members will get to know each other and get a feel for each other's skills and voices.  
 
The teams will reconvene later in the month to perform these plays for each other.

These 10-minute plays are not an end in themselves.  Through these small collaborations we hope to build relationships between the two most vulnerable artists in theatre; the actors who put themselves on stage and the playwrights who pour themselves onto the page.  Perhaps these 10-minute plays will grow into longer works or maybe these collaborations will become partnerships on larger projects.
 
If you'd like to participate, please RSVP at TrinityCrater@gmail.com or introduce yourself at out next event.
Some additional notes on the play lab:
  • In the spirit of shoe-string theatre, these 10-minute plays should have a budget of $0.00.
  • Playwrights will be directing the plays, or an actor from the team can volunteer to do so.
  • It's up to each team to schedule rehearsals together.  Based on experience, it shouldn't take more than 3-4 hours of rehearsal time to get these plays on their feet.
  • Playwrights are invited in advance of the Meet & Greet. 
  • Playwrights are invited based on participation in past Manhattan Project events, so please come to our events so we can get to know you!