“Dun-dun-dun,” the director called from backstage.

Something dramatic had happened in the soap opera — in case the audience missed it.

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Texas Woman’s University students Georgie Jinks, left, and Michelle Mata work on their lines Saturday for the Potluck Playfest that opened the drama program’s spring season Saturday at the Redbud Theater. The event featured four 10-minute plays written, directed and rehearsed within 24 hours leading up the performance.

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The male doctor paused on all the right or wrong words in his dialogue just before he embraced his nurse in a dramatic kiss.

When the female director called for a break, the doctor pulled out a flask of alcohol and started drinking.

“What if I want to tear off my shirt and rock out?” spilled from his lips.

“Don’t you dare,” the director responded.

Soon the two were locked in a kiss, or at least until the actual director sitting in the empty audience calls, “Cut.”

The play, As the Stomach Churns, was one of four plays that began the spring drama season at Texas Woman’s University Saturday night during Potluck Playfest.

The event may seem like another dramatic production held at the university’s Redbud Theater, but 24 hours ago, the plays didn’t exist.

A production like this would normally take four weeks, but it was all about squeezing it into a day, said Susan Serota, a graduate drama student and producer of the production.

Serota produced the playfest as her master’s thesis and a group of students — 15 actors, four writers, four directors and two lighting and technical workers — were there to see if they could really help it all play out.

“There’s no time for homework,” Serota said. “It forces you to make bold choices and not question your decision.”

The quick turnaround takes away questioning and overanalyzing behavior — which she said happens frequently when creating a play — leaving nothing but raw talent for writers, directors and actors, Serota said.

The entire production arrived at the theater at 8 p.m. on Friday with props and costumes, she said.

The four playwrights worked throughout the night, spending seven hours writing and developing the scripts based on the costumes that were presented, she said.

They worked until an early Saturday morning deadline and turned their scripts in to eager actors at 8 a.m.

DRC/Gary Payne

Texas Woman's University students Taylor Reed, left, Amber Howard and Elizabeth Lambert on Saturday rehearse a play performed that evening at the opening of the drama program’s spring season at the Redbud Theater.

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Actors got to play with their scripts throughout the day on Saturday, adding impromptu jokes or playing up their characters’ personalities to enhance the performance.

Learning a monologue usually takes a lot longer than learning a dialogue, where answers can be short and clipped, said Georgie Jinks, an actress and a graduate student.

Jinks’ character, Pamela Peterson in The Garage Tale, had two monologues, making for a difficult task.

But after spending 10 hours rehearsing lines, even during lunch, she was able to pull the monologues off during the dress rehearsal.

“It was harder than I want a day to be, but [other actors] were there for me,” Jinks said.

This was exactly what Serota said she wanted the actors to do.

The laughs, improvising and sticking to the plot points were important for graduate student Tristan Decker, who played three different characters alongside Jinks.

Even though this wasn’t a classical performance, keeping to the plot points helped best represent the plays, which the writers had lost sleep over, he said.

“It’s all fun and games. It’s not Shakespeare; it’s better,” Decker said, laughing.

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com.