Once again, there is a slow but certain takeover happening, as the next play’s set comes together and the current production comes to a close. Jason Simms’ stunning set for The Lion in Winter stands proudly onstage while—behind it, in the scene shop—Yoon Bae’s set for Once creeps forward, taking every inch of available space until late Saturday night when it can finally explode out of its restraints and be loaded onto the PTC stage.

But the backstage area isn’t the only one at PTC preparing for the giant turnover.

On Sunday morning,  the seven members of The Lion in Winter cast will pack up and leave, and our apartments will get cleaned. Just in the nick of time because, Sunday afternoon and evening, 20 new actors, directors, designers, and playwrights will arrive to begin rehearsals for Once and The Fifth Domain (our second Play-by-Play reading).

It is most definitely going to be a full house at Meldrum House.

It’s also going to be a full house in our rehearsal spaces. We will likely overflow into our Board room, and possibly into one of our dressing rooms, with up to four rehearsals going on at any given moment next week.

Don’t forget to put Play-by-Play on your calendar! It opens Jan. 25.

We’re at the UMFA this time around—and I think Victor Lesniewski’s play, The Fifth Domain, is terrific.