In a span of two days, Paly students and alumni put together the fifth Play in a Day, which they performed at 8 p.m. on Saturday night in the Haymarket Theater.

Sponsored by the Paly Theater boosters and the Paly Thespian Troupe, Play in a Day is an opportunity for students and alumni to work together to create a short play in a limited amount of time. All plays are centered around a common theme; this year’s theme was Great Works of Art.

“The best part of Play in a Day is that they [the plays] are student-written,” sophomore Grace Borchers said. “I feel that makes them extra unique and fun to work with. I also like meeting new people in the group you’re in. You get to spend a whole day getting to know the people in your group and you develop a cool bond.”

Junior Tessa Goble has been involved in Play in a Days for the past two years. This year she co-wrote and co-directed “The People with No Talent” with junior Gretchen Chapman. Goble was pleased with how the play turned out.

“We really liked it when we wrote it, and then we were unsure but it turned out really good in the end,” Goble said.

On Dec. 2, students signed up to act, direct, and write for the performance, but were not given an assignment until 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Students divided into 12 groups and received a piece of art, a costume and two props. The playwrights each wrote a seven-minute play by Saturday morning, when rehearsals began in preparation for performances that night.

Those students who are writing a play for the Thespian Troupe trip to the Fringe Festival in Scotland were unable to write for Play in a Day due to a Fringe writer’s meeting on Saturday that could not be rescheduled.

Borchers does not think it was fair that the Fringe Writers were unable to participate in Play in a Day.

“I don’t think the meeting should have been the same day just because most people who are interested in Fringe are interested in Play in a Day, and that did not allow them to be a part of this production,” Borchers said.

Freshmen Emelyn Hicks, a participant in Saturday’s Play in a Day, views the Fringe writers situation differently than Borchers.

“They [the Fringe writers] were greatly missed but I don’t think it affected the shows,” Hicks said. “They would have been different but not necessarily for better or for worse.”

Junior Mark Olson, a second time participant in Play in a Day this year, finds it to be an enjoyable experience.

“I always look forward to it [Play in a Day] because it’s just so great,” Olson said. “You get to be in a short play that is completely different from anything else usually done at Paly theater.”

As a third time participant in Play in a Day, Sarah Lauing, Paly class of 2003, has found that it varies slightly year to year.

“Every year is a little different, with a different group of people and different themes to the plays,” Lauing said. “This year, the prompt for the writers was works of art, which I think led to some more sophisticated scripts and interesting themes.”

This year, there will be another Play in a Day on March 21. This added Play in a Day will raise money for the Thespian Society’s trip to the Fringe Festival in Scotland and will be a chance for short plays in the absence of one acts this year.

“The second Play in a Day [this year] will serve as a fundraiser for the Fringe,” theater teacher Kathleen Woods said. “It’s such a popular event. We’re not doing one acts like we usually do so, it will be an opportunity for shorter plays.”