Short Attention Span? This Theater Lets You See 7 Plays in 2 Hours

The concept of Microtheater started in Madrid, Spain and has expanded to Mexico, Buenos Aires and Bogota. Miami is currently the first city in North America to have this type of theater that will start its performances in English in June.

The format is simple. There are seven containers, each container with a different play. Each play is fifteen minutes long with a capacity to sit fifteen audience members. Plays are constantly rotating, so no matter what time you come in there will always be a show playing. The genres include comedy, drama, and mystery. There are two types of schedules: prime-time plays, from 8pm until 11pm, and “sesion golfa” or more adult themed plays, from 11pm until 2am, in which each stage is changed to offer new plays for the evening.

According to its founders, people don’t have time or desire to see a two-hour play anymore. The format has to be fast. “In fifteen minutes you eat it, you digest it, and you’re ready for the next one,” says Miguel Ferro. Its founder also explains that Microtheaters has introduced theater into the agendas of many young people. “Not only is it an affordable plan of only $5 per play, but it’s short, so for many young people who had never been to the theater, Microtheater is their first contact with theater. Young people want things fast. And the good thing about Microtheaters is that if you don’t like the play, you have only lost fifteen minutes of your life.”

But the special aspect about microtheaters is not only its duration. It is distinguished from traditional theaters because of the proximity to the actors and its face-to-face connection. The audience is able to interact and feel like part of the play. “It felt like being inside of the television screen,” says a member of the audience. “It’s something new and unusual that you don’t see every day.”

Actors also see this as a huge opportunity to show their talent to the film industry as many executives or directors attend this event. “I think every actor should do Microteatro,” says William Valdes, Microteatro actor and social media co-host for Despierta America. William says the experience is unique because of its intensity. “You have the people right there, you can touch them, breath with them, smell what they’re smelling,” he says.

Born and raised in Spain, Lara is a digital producer and writer for Fusion — covering stories in culture and technology as well as in-depth environmental issues across the globe.