Most are familiar with speed-walking and speed-talking, but audiences of “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” will be able to walk away saying they’re also familiar with “speed theatre.”
The Undergraduate Theatre Alliance is putting on a production of this show on the nights of March 24 and 25. The production, lasting an hour, will set out to perform 30 miniature plays of various genres including comic, tragic, political, personal and abstract.
No two renditions of the show will be exactly alike. The actors will have the audience call out a number, one through 30, and will perform the play that corresponds with that number.
“The actors have no idea which play goes with which number, so it is a complete surprise each night,” said Kendall Krebsbach, one of the show’s six directors.
It was precisely this unique and unpredictable nature that drew Krebsbach, an aspiring director, to the show.
“At LSU, we are fortunate to get to work on a lot of different types of theatre, but nothing has ever been quite like this,” Krebsbach said. “The uncertainty of what scene will come next has brought a real life and excitement to the rehearsal process.”
Krebsbach said her favorite part of the show was having the opportunity to work on so much material, since each director has reign over five scenes.
“Getting to switch from scene to scene and from character to character has been super fun to direct and watch,” she said.
While having multiple shows in one has kept things exciting, it has also brought its fair share of challenges, particularly the element of time.
“The most difficult part has been making sure that, while we want the scenes to be under two minutes, the scenes aren’t just a jumbled and rushed set of words,” Krebsbach said. “We’re creating characters, creating situations and backstories and doing all of that while also trying to make sure we watch the clock.”
Working with directors Curran Latas, Zach Eubanks, Lucas Thompson, Anthony Doyle and Zoey Young on the same show has also been an interesting experience for Krebsbach.
“All of my fellow directors are very talented artists, and I’ve been really privileged to see them work,” she said. “It’s been great to be able to collaborate and learn from working with other directors.”
While the rehearsals have been fun, Krebsbach said she is most looking forward to the performance given the interactive nature of the show.
“We’ve been working really hard in rehearsals, but this show runs on having an audience present,” she said. “I’m so excited to see how the show changes once we get that necessary element in the room.”
“Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” will be performed at the Studio Theater in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building at 10 p.m. this Friday and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased for $5-10 at the door, cash only.

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Chunfeng Lu

Theater freshman Noah Smith (left) and Theater freshman Vincent Bianca (right) rehearse for “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” theater on Friday, March 17, 2017, in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building.