BPP pulls 'all-nighter'

It was an idea that shouldn't have worked, but it did.\nThe third annual Performathon fund-raiser at the Bloomington Playwrights Project continued from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday. Advertised as "24 hours of non-stop Entertainment," it is an idea that Richard Perez, artistic director of the BPP, picked up in New York, where he lived as an actor.\n"In my mind, it was a good idea, but it never got off the ground. They couldn't do it there," Perez said.\nBut what clashed with the New York state of mind operated flawlessly in Bloomington. Perez and the BPP work to recruit talent that has previously worked with the organization or new talent and give them a timeslot within the 24 hours. Audiences pay $5 to see one act or an hour of performances, whichever is longer, or $10 to come and go as they please for the entire duration of the Performathon.\nBPP Development Director Sonja Johnson said that two years ago, the company was in dire need of money, and Perez, then a volunteer, stepped up with his idea.\n"We were in a financial crisis," Johnson said. "Rich (Perez) had this idea that he picked up in New York, and we decided to bring it onstage. We raised over $2,500."\nJohnson said it first featured only small acts, guitarists, poets and one-man acts. Now, word of the Performathon has spread, and it is starting to feature plays and staged readings.\n"It's gradually becoming more of a theatrical affair. This year, we had a staged reading of 'The Accident of a Civilized Man' and a play called 'Cloud 9,' for example," Johnson said. "Playwrights are beginning to see the opportunity this offers in letting them try out their stuff, and audiences can see something that they might not be able to see anywhere else."\nThe sketch comedy troupe Boy in the Bubble performed for a full house from 10 to 11p.m. The group likes to approach subject matter that may be considered taboo or risqué. So far, it has had a good reception for its brand of comedy.\n"That's why people come to see us," said John McClain, a performer with Boy in a Bubble. "We've never really had a problem with people being offended because (people who would be offended) really wouldn't come see us in the first place."\nTheir act, "All Sorts of Trouble with the Boy in the Bubble," features skits with themes ranging from a boy who uses a cat litter box (and is caught by his parents) to abortion clinics.\nLater in the evening, guitarist Bob Risher performed. He played original songs like "I'm Gonna Kick Matt Kirkum's Ass" and a song he wrote about an intern at his own place of employment, "A Certain Girl." Through opportunities at the BPP, Risher has learned to perform, express emotion and expose his thoughts through music and performance.\n"For this event, I was sitting around and thinking about 'what could I do that I haven't done before,'" Risher said. "Suddenly, I had it. I called up Rich and asked, 'Would you have a problem if I was naked by the end of my segment?'"\nAnd naked he was. He stripped his clothing off before performing "A Certain Girl," a song about longing for the attention of the voluptuous intern. Right before launching into the song, he looked embarrassed and said, "I can't ... believe I am doing this."\nRisher came back two hours later to perform a one-man show.\nThrough innovative ideas like the Performathon, the BPP has won the 2004 Bloomington Area Arts Council Arts Leadership award in the Arts and Cultural Organization category.\n"The BPP is beneficial to writers, to actors and to audiences ... actors have an opportunity to act in fresh, original plays, and audiences can see shows that they probably couldn't see anywhere else," Johnson said. \n"It's a wonderful opportunity," Perez said. "Performances under one roof, for one day. We have fun. All the money goes to a good cause."\nThe BPP's next sponsored event will be the Bloomin' PuppetFest 2004, in a collaboration with the John Waldron Arts Center, the Monroe County Public Library as well as other performance venues. Performances will range in times April 30 and May 1. For more information, visit the BPP's Web site at www.newplays.org or call the Sunrise Box Office at 323-3020 for tickets.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.