Photo Flash: Special Sauce Company's JIL SANDER

New York City-based theater collective Special Sauce Company presents its latest project, an ambitious four-week festival of new work conceptualized as ‘Flash Plays', to take place over the Spring season. The festival, comprised of over three dozen pieces, are all characterized as site-specific, performed in public locations, and no more than five minutes in length. Audiences will be asked to optionally donate with 100% of proceeds going towards Shelterbox, a disaster relief organization currently focusing its efforts on assisting Japan.

Performances will begin May 9th 2011 and take place for four weeks. Audiences will be able to see a comprehensive schedule of all pieces by visiting the company's website (http://specialsauceco.com). They may also track the company via its email list, twitter, facebook, or blog, to receive daily alerts about Flash Plays taking place (all links available on the website). While pieces will only be performed one-day-only, they will be take place multiple times a day, on the hour, for the span of 3 to 4 times. Locations will be kept secret prior to 24 hours before they are scheduled to take place to preserve spontaneity. Audiences are thus highly encouraged to join the festival mailing list.

Special Sauce Company, as the name might hint, is also ultimately about having fun and giving audiences a chance to rethink their preconceptions about theater. Their previous project, 10-Minute Tastings, took place at a completely filled Jimmy No. 43 in the Lower East Side on February 21st. There, the five-member ensemble produced free readings of new work by playwrights such as Rebeckah Brunsetter (Fat Kids On Fire, Lark Play Center Fellow), Daniel Talbott (Rising Phoenix Rep/Rattlestick Theater), Crystal Skillman (2010 NY Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Full Length Script), Jon Kern (EST's Youngbloods), Issac Oliver (Good Company's Electra in a One-Piece), and Vanessa Shealy (NYIFF's Tea in the Afternoon). To promote the project, they covered themselves in goo, and had an after party in the venue immediately following, Djed by an ensemble member.

Founded in late 2010 by recent graduates of Boston University, SUNY Purchase, and The Juilliard School, Special Sauce Company is dedicated to putting necessary new work into the world, and making sure as many people as possible have the opportunity to see it - namely those who cannot or would never think to. By providing themselves with compelling challenges, they aim to produce fun results. Abundant theater of a recessive age.

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