Boston Theatre Marathon XXIII: Special Zoom Edition Anthology
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Edited by Kate Snodgrass, Artistic Director
Smith & Kraus, Inc
Softcover, 340 pages
ISBN: 9781575259611
Copyright 2021
$20.00
Purchase the Anthology
Review by Kitty Drexel
BOSTON — Boston Theatre Marathon XXIII: Special Zoom Edition Anthology is the physical manifestation of the 23rd Annual Boston Theatre Marathon on Zoom. #BTMXXIIIelectricZOOMaloo
The Boston Theatre Marathon was live and in-person until COVID-19 struck the Earth like a biblical pestilence. Years 2020 and 2021 were over Zoom. This anthology puts the magic and the mystery of 2021’s plays in one book.
From the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre website: “For more than two decades, the Boston Theater Marathon has brought together playwrights, directors, and theatre companies in an effort to foster collaboration between artists and producers.
“Plays are chosen from approximately 400 submissions from New England playwrights annually, and the selected plays are produced – in a single 10-hour day – by New England theatre companies donating their time to this event.
“Generously supported over the years by the Boston University Center for the Humanities and by individual donations, the BTM gives net proceeds to the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, which helps area theatre artists and companies in crisis.”
The Anthology begins with a note from editor and BPT Artistic Director Kate Snodgrass. Plays are listed in alphabetical order by playwright. Most selections include a playwright bio, pre-BTM performance information, and character descriptions.
In some cases such as Albert (A Musical) by Mark Evan Chimsky and Zev Burrows, the script isn’t printed in the anthology but contact information is.
The type is small. Near-sighted folks like me may need to read the book in short bursts to rest their eyes or use a magnifying glass.
Alas, the book doesn’t include the original 2021 schedule. That list is HERE.
Boston Theatre Marathon XXIII: Special Zoom Edition Anthology can be purchased on the BPT website or through your local bookstore. It’s a time capsule from a difficult but special time when the community came together to make magic happen over the internet when we couldn’t do it in person.
If you’re evil, you can also buy the anthology via Amazon. Gross.
