The Driveway Theatre Project (DTP) brings a new kind of block party to neighborhoods throughout Greater Gainesville!
The way it works is simple: UFPA teams up with community members like you to bring together friends and neighbors around a performance in driveways, backyards, community centers, and even places of business. You provide the space and invite the people, we provide the magic of performance. Whether it’s bringing actors, musicians, dancers, or all three, we will work with you to figure out the most appropriate performance type for your gathering.
The DTP will be an effort that meets people where they are both geographically and socially, providing performances at no cost and removing many of the boundaries that hinder folks from attending performances inside our venues.
But providing no cost performances and removing these boundaries is a serious undertaking, and to realize the full potential of DTP we will need your support.
How to Host
If you are interested in hosting a Driveway Theatre Project event, please fill out this form and we will add you to the list of potential hosts. A few things to know about hosting:
- There has been a tremendous response to the Driveway Theatre Project. We are still accepting applications for hosts, but ask for patience as we continue to grow this program.
- We need hosts from all over! To us, DTP will not be a success unless our performances reach out to every corner of Gainesville. We want to engage with our neighbors to the East, West, North, South, and even in surrounding communities.
- Host requirements are minimal. The beauty of DTP is that it can happen nearly anywhere. Hosts will be required to provide ample space for performers and audience, and minimal power for microphones and speakers. That’s it!
Current Offerings
This “menu” of performances will continue to evolve as we develop DTP.
The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play
Written by Joe Landry
Directed by Derek Wohlust
Mystery/Thriller | PG | 40 – 50 minutes
Inspired by Hitchcock’s classic interpretation of the John Buchan novel and performed as a live period radio play, this thriller is a fast-paced ride through the signature world of the Master of Suspense. Richard Hannay is visiting 1930s London when he meets Annabella Smith, who is on the run from foreign agents. Later that night, Annabella is murdered and Hannay must then try to break the spy ring and prove his innocence. From an epic train chase to a feisty love interest, Hannay has his work cut out for him as he searches for the truth about The 39 Steps.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, Jess Winfield
Directed by Derek Wohlust
Comedy/Education | PG | 57 minutes
All 37 Shakespeare plays in 57 minutes! Three madcap women weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories, and tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter. An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays!
Check Please: Take 2
Written by Jonathan Rand
Directed by: Katie Wallace
PG | 35 minutes
Soon after their relationship ends, Guy and Girl are forced by their well-intentioned best friends to plunge back into the dating pool. Unfortunately that pool is filled with foot-reading psychics, frustrated polygamists, and extreme accountants. And pirates. But are the blind dates really that unbearable? Yes. Yes they are.
The Lady Eve
Written by Preston Sturges
Directed by Derek Wohlust
PG | 35 minutes
Aboard a cruise liner sailing up the coast of South America, a beautiful but conniving card sharp sets her sights on a nerdy snake researcher, who happens to be the heir to a brewery fortune. But when the con artist falls for her mark, her grift becomes a game of hearts—and she is determined to win it all. Based on the Lux Radio Theatre Production originally broadcast 3/9/42.
To the Moon
Written by Beth Kandar
Directed by Lola Bond
MA | 1 Hour
To the Moon is a stunning hour-long docudrama based on over 200 surveys and 20 in-person interviews with survivors of domestic violence, lifting up the riveting stories of these survivors, complete with humor, revelation, and tragedy. Because “statistics are not the most powerful way to change someone’s mind. Stories are.”
Content Warning: Discussions of Domestic Violence / Domestic Assault
Fannie Lou Hamer’s America
Directed by Carol Richardson
PG | 45 minutes
Fannie Lou Hamer’s America is a portrait of a civil rights activist and the injustices in America that made her work essential. Through public speeches, personal interviews, and powerful songs of the fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America explores and celebrates the lesser-known life of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders.
Dracula
Adapted from the Bram Stoker novel
& Directed by: Derek Wohlust
PG | 50 minutes
Driveway Theatre Project proudly presents the legendary tale of Count Dracula, re-vamped as a live radio play! Join our cast as they tell the tale of the most famous of all vampires!
The Maltese Falcon
Written by: Dashiell Hammett
Adapted & Directed by: Steven Butler
PG | 50 minutes
Have you ever wondered what life could be like behind the scenes of a live radio drama? Join the radio stars of yesteryear: James Thorogood, Kitty Collins, Vanessa Eaves, Patrick Henry and Monty Fitzwater and watch their personal life antics unfold during their production of the classic murder mystery The Maltese Falcon.
An Evening with Frederick Douglass and Captain John Brown
Adapted from William Branch’s “In Splendid Error”
& Directed by: Carol Velasques
PG | 30 minutes followed by talkback
Director Carol Velasques has put together a searing dramatic history lesson to reveal the complex friendship, struggle, and heroism of two comrades in the fight to free the slaves, called it simply An Evening with Two Abolitionists, and coupled with a talk-back to engage the audience in a discussion of issues that simply could not be more pressing – Race and Freedom.
And more coming soon! Stay tuned for future updates.
Help us pave the way!
The Driveway Theatre Project is made possible through the generous support of our donors. Please consider making a gift today to ensure we can continue bringing performances to driveways across Greater Gainesville.
For additional information about the Driveway Theatre Project, please email us at driveway@performingarts.ufl.edu.
