Tuesday Nights At Vs.

This blog and the mission of The Vs. Studio is to help people find and manifest the art they’re passionate about. And to do so with excellence and generosity. For themselves, their fellow artists and the audience they seek to serve.

So what if you don’t know what you’re passionate about?

That’s okay. In my experience, most people don’t. Not everyone’s walking around with a bucket list of plays and roles they’re dying to do. (Though I encourage you to start one.)

When you find a piece that you’re interested in exploring further, call up some actor friends and do a reading. Now with Zoom, it’s easier than ever.

“Tuesday Nights At Vs.” started a few years ago with this same ethos. Anyone can “sponsor” a Tuesday night. Sponsor just means picking the play, making a PDF, writing a brief synopsis, and inviting some friends to participate and or come listen. It can be any type of play, any genre, any time period. No restrictions. (While Vs. Theatre Company’s mission is primarily to produce World, West Coast and Los Angeles Premieres, the mission of The Vs. Studio is that any play is fair game.)

These nights are designed to be very fun and informal. Pre-Covid, we’d meet in our theatre lobby. Often roles would be cast on the spot from whomever showed up. People would bring a favorite snack or beverage. We’d gather together, read the play, converse and then disperse. A weekly tradition was born: “Tuesday Nights At Vs.”

We’ve kept it alive through Covid by embracing Zoom. I’m incredibly grateful for this platform and the artists who’ve sponsored nights and/or showed up. An unexpected and beautiful side benefit is that our reach has expanded to many new people across the country. As a result of the nights being open to anyone and any play, we’ve enjoyed an incredibly rich and diverse selection of plays. No artistic director or committee could ever program so well! And we have an amazing and super supportive community that shows up consistently week after week.

One of two things will happen as a result of you taking the leap to sponsor a Tuesday night. Both are win, win.

Most often you’ll read the play, have a great time and gotten it out of your system. Awesome.

In a few cases however, the play and the night will stay with you. You’ll keep thinking about it, wondering if you should to take it to the next level. Friends might call you up and say “you have to do this one.” You won’t be able to shake it. Hmm…you might just’ve found your passion project. Good news! You have an outlet for that passion: The Vs. Studio.

So, if you’re reading this and want to sponsor a night, email me (jclark@vstheatre.org) and let’s pick a future Tuesday. Don’t wait. Our backlog is pretty long. Nearly six months out.

Or if you just want to be on our email list (we send it out once a week, every Monday night) to come listen to the plays and be a part of the community, please reach out and I’ll add you to it.

I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday Nights At Vs. (someday back in our lobby) and experiencing your art. Thanks for showing up. We’re so glad you’re here.