'No Shame Theatre' debuts in Carrboro

The No Shame Theatre format has swept creative communities across the country, and now it's coming to The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. No Shame is described as an uncensored mix of comedy, performance art, emotional drama and music rarely seen in more conventional theatre.

Posted 2:49 p.m. Feb 24, 2012 — Updated 2:49 p.m. Feb 24, 2012

Debbie Tullos

If you haven’t noticed, the Triangle is virtually bursting at the seams with the arts. This area is particularly rich with talent in the performing arts, making this the perfect place for the No Shame Theatre format, and The ArtsCenter in Carrboro is the place to see it.

As their slogan states, No Shame Theatre is a place where anything can happen, and usually does. Every type of performer is welcome, from actors and singers to jugglers and belly dancers…and anything in between. Drama, comedy, dance, bad, weird…whatever! Only three rules apply:

1) All pieces must be original.

2) You can’t break anything (the stage, the audience, yourself, the law, etc.)

3) All pieces must be under five minutes.

That’s it. These late-night, completely uncensored shows will happen once each month and contain about 15 pieces per show. The ArtsCenter will debut No Shame tonight at 10:30 p.m., furthering their commitment to support playwrights and new plays.

“I want to encourage local playwrights to write more, find more outlets, get out and see shows, get together and read each other's work,” said Jeri Lynn Shulke, artistic director of ArtsCenter Stage at The ArtsCenter. “No Shame is one forum where playwrights can set external deadlines for themselves to get work up on its feet quickly.”

Shulke is a founding member of No Shame Theatre, going back to its inception at the University of Iowa in 1986. Since then, No Shame has spread throughout the country to Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Nevada, California and Tennessee. There is also a No Shame Theatre currently operating in Ashville, N.C.

As tonight’s show is the inaugural program, it will be a bit of a learning experience for the participants. If you want to see it take shape, you can show up for the 10:30 p.m. program at The ArtsCenter’s West End Theatre for free. You may want to wait until the March show to see the whole thing up and rolling with all the kinks worked out. At that point, admission will be $5 per person, which is still a darn good deal.

When we have details on the March show, we’ll share them here in What’s On Tap. You can also go to the No Shame Carrboro Facebook page and give them a “Like” to keep tabs on what they’re up to.

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