“The Wii Plays” Takes Inspiration From Nintendo’s Console

The Ars Nova theatre in New York has begun its run of “The Wii Plays”, an evening of short acts and music which take their inspiration from Nintendo’s Wii.

The New York Times reports on the production, with Ars Nova’s Play Group behind the act which features several eight minute long plays, which “springboard off the wild titles of Nintendo Wii games to create a night of short plays with an arcade spin.”

The Play Group has been part of various theatre productions relating to technology, with Wikipedia, iTunes and the Missed Connections page on Craigslist being some their previous themes.

Speaking to the Times, Emily Shooltz, Ars Nova’s associate artistic director, said: “In most cases the playwrights have taken the plays in very imaginative dramatic directions based on the content of those titles. They don’t literally dramatize Wii games, although in some cases that’s true.”

“The tone of the night is very fun and upbeat. There’s live music, and people will be able to play Wii before the show starts. We want people to embrace the spirit of game night,” she said.

Plays include:

“Buck Fever,” by Samuel D. Hunter: Two friends come to terms with the nature of their relationship after taking a hunting trip.

“Marvel 
Superhero 
Squad
,” by 
Chad 
Beckim: A black superhero is ordered to go to therapy to work on his issues about being a member of a minority group.

“Bob the Builder: Festival of Fun,” by Amy Herzog: A married couple on the brink of divorce wonder if their relationship can be fixed with the help of Bob the Builder’s theme song, “Can We Fix It? Yes We Can.”

“Wii Tennis,” by Molly Smith Metzler: A couple who broke up long ago run into each other and face off, tennis-match style, in a coffee shop.

“Barbie as the Island Princess,” by Tasha Gordon-Solmon: College Barbie has come home from college, where she has had her mind opened; her parents want her to be Island Princess Barbie, but she’ll have none of it.

“Wii Sports Resort: Swordplay: Speed Slice,” by Kristoffer Diaz: A son and his mother’s boyfriend use a competitive game of Wii Sports Resort to challenge each other over who has rights to the mom’s affections.

I suggest you check out the Times’ piece, as well reading Kotaku’s review.

You can buy tickets on the Ars Nova website. “The Wii Plays” runs until February 12th.