Actors rehearse a scene from one of eight plays that will be part of SlamVermont, a community production at Chandler Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24. (Herald / Tim Calabro)Twenty-three actors, eight plays, and an assortment of stories: women discussing the murders of their husbands, a boy attempting to reconnect with his father, a Native American court case. What have we here?

This is SlamVermont, a local collaboration of different age groups, ethnicities, and beliefs, all acting, directing and producing their way toward the common goal of rediscovering true identity and understanding.

The White River Craft Center in Randolph pulsed with energy last week as they prepared for the first-ever SlamVermont event.

The performance will be comprised of eight short plays, an average of 10 minutes each and will debut at Chandler next weekend.

Evening performances will be Friday and Saturday July 23 and 24 at 7:30 and Sunday will have a 4:30 matinee. All performances will be in the upper gallery, for a more intimate setting than the Music Hall itself.

It will be presented in the same format as a poetry slam, with MCs, judges, audience participation, and music during the intermission.

Director Karen Trachenburg, who resides part time in Bethel, got the idea from a similar program in Massachusetts, SlamBoston, in which she has performed several times. Trachenburg says she wanted to revive adult theater in Randolph, and with little trouble, she soon got support and funding from Chandler.

Once the ball started rolling, Trachenburg and co-producer Karen Maloney, sent out a call to playwrights. By March, she received 75 submissions from around the country. Five of the eight that were eventually chosen are from Vermont and include plays from Jeanne Beckwith (who also wrote “Love Letters Made Easy,” performed at Lost Nation Theater) Joseph Bruchac, and New Hampshire’s 13-year-old Sophia Gilberto.

As SlamVermont “embraces diversity,” the show contains issues such as the GLBT (gay-lesbian-bi-sexual-transgendered) movement. It includes discussion of the rights of women, minorities, and others who cannot often raise their voices in the public media. Trachenburg named it a “forum for the underrepresented.”

Because of adult themes and language, the show is recommended for mature audiences, ages 16 and up.

“We wanted to go beyond kids’ stuff and musicals and do adult theater and comedy,” Trachenburg explained.

Back to Acting

After years of singing and performing for Chandler’s annual Mud Season Talent Show, Sonia Bly of Randolph is using SlamVermont to get back into acting.

“I finally decided I wanted to try,” she said. Both Bly and Sandra Gartner of Rutland are in two plays, and both seem to love every minute of it.

“I was excited I was cast in two plays that are so different,” Gartner noted. “It’s not often that an actor can explore two types of roles at the same time. It’s awesome.”

Most of the actors are local residents, including Bly, Northfield alum Kyle Darling, Matthieu Messier, Holly Mugford, and Steven Neas, all recent graduates of RUHS. Others include Carl Emmons of Brookfield, F. Brett Cox from Roxbury, and others from around Vermont and the Northeast.

At the end of the weekend, the judges’ scores over all three nights will be compiled to announce the winner of a modest cash prize.

The motto of SlamVermont is “Diverse voices in Theater.” Certainly, looking at the cast alone—a variety of ages, dress, personalities, and beliefs—that is an accurate summation.

From the actors to the writers to the directors, everyone involved in this endeavor emotes a love of drama, theater and the arts. They have come together and set aside their different perspectives for a common goal and an exciting performance.