If you have a tendency for amateur dramatics but lack the time to put it to good use, an expat theater company might be for you.

Probationary Theater Company is putting on its third Play in a Day theater lock-in on Aug. 6.

Teams of two to five actors, a director and a writer will be locked in the theater and given 11 hours and a blank sheet of paper, with the mission of creating a play lasting 10-25 minutes.

“We give them breakfast, lunch and a heap of coffee,” said Probationary Theater’s creative director Desiree Munro, who organizes the event. “We try to ensure that any couples or friends are not put in the same team so that everyone meets new people and there’s no “cliques” or people who feel excluded.”

There is a broad theme given out to the teams on the day to make sure plays are original work.

For the April show the teams were each given a fruit as their theme. The grape team did a farce about selling genetically modified wine. The peach team did an absurdist piece where the actors played various fruit.

Even when given exactly the same brief, teams come up with an eclectic output. For the July show, all plays had to be set in a hotel.

One team did a play about five English teachers in Korea whose hagwon had put them up in a love hotel with only one double bed.

Another team did a play about fidelity, and another did a play where the characters had killed themselves in the hotel years earlier and were returning as ghosts.

There was also a play in which two nerds had booked them into the hotel for a comics convention.

Munro said this kind of speed theater was a good way of involving talented expats with busy schedules.

“I want to create an inclusive event that anyone who is interested in creating new theater can be involved in. I want to take more advantage of the real artistic talent that the Korean expat community has to offer in a low time commitment format,” she said. “So many talented expats are working ridiculous hours at hagwon and whatnot, and I didn’t want them to miss out on the chance to do some theatre, nor did I want the audience to miss out on seeing what these individuals have to offer.”

This is the third play in a day event Probationary Theater has put on this year. The last two events got a positive response from both sides of the curtain.

“It’s an intense but incredible day” said Juliet Mathes, who acted in the last two events. “The 12 hours go by so quickly, and because you’re locked in a theater with these people, rehearsing together, eating, talking, bonding together, everyone becomes really close in such a short amount of time.”

Munro said people were usually surprised at the quality of the productions.

“I think people assume because the show is created in 12 hours, the quality will be very low, but everyone who participates is so committed and passionate about creating a great show, it really is a surprisingly well polished piece of theater,” she said.

The company is open to all levels of theater experience for the event. Play in a Day takes place at White Box Theater near Hochang Park Station. It begins for participants at 9 a.m. and doors open for audiences at 8 p.m. Anyone who wants to get involved, can register at www.probationarytheatre.com.

Drama fans interested in seeing a evening of brand new theater can also book by emailing probationarytheatre@gmail.com. Tickets to the show are 10,000 won.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)