Play At Home

In March 2020 a bunch of theaters* were producing plays, business as usual, when a global pandemic had other plans.

Prioritizing the safety of their communities, they made difficult decisions to cease or postpone programming for the remainder their seasons.

But the story doesn’t end there.

With a spirit of resilience, adaptation, and invitation, they came together to create the Play At Home project, a series of short plays commissioned specifically for this moment of unprecedented isolation to inspire joy and connection for all.

In other words, COVID-19 may have closed the theater buildings, but you can still #PlayAtHome.

* We started as a small group: Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, The Public Theater, Repertory Theater of St Louis, & Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company committed to finding ways to keep people connected to live theater. Every day, more theaters are jumping in to participate in what we’re hoping becomes a #PlayAtHome national past time.

So, how does this work?

STEP ONE – WE COMMISSION THE PLAYWRIGHTS
Partner theaters commission a handful of playwrights each to write 5-10 minute plays that can be performed – by any definition! – at home.

STEP TWO – YOU DOWNLOAD THE PLAYS
Scripts are posted and available for free, immediate download at playathome.org.

STEP THREE – YOU READ THE PLAYS
You read the plays. At home, by yourself, in your pajamas. In the living room with your family or roommates. While cooking dinner or waiting for delivery from local businesses.

STEP FOUR – HILARITY ENSUES
These plays are JOYFUL. These plays are meant to exist in your imagination, beyond the usual limits of what might be “possible” onstage at your local theater. They’re family-friendly world premieres that can exist in their fullness from your living room.

STEP FIVE – YOU SHARE WITH US
You share images, videos, and soundbites on social media by tagging #PlayAtHome!

See Terms of Use