It's a mad artist's dream come true: write, cast, direct, produce and act in eight plays...all in 24 hours. That's the jist of Mercury Players' annual Blitz, now in its sixth year, with performances on May 27 and 28 at the Bartell Theatre.

Don't miss this crazy endeavor, but come prepared for some raw edges, or more likely, pieces that are raw right down to the core.

Blitz starts with auditions, where daring actors prove their worth in a mass cattle call, fill out applications and get their photos snapped. Then on Thursday night, a team of writers meet, draw their fates from a hat and have until 8:00 a.m. the next morning to prepare an entire play, from start to finish. If you still don't think this sounds crazy, read on.

The next step requires directors to assemble a working play in a single day, actors to learn lines, technicians to prepare and then...show time! At 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 27, the curtain goes up and the show goes on.

And if once wasn't enough, the Blitz mania will continue to May 28, with a new team of writers drawing their ideas for Saturday's show just as the Friday night Blitz gets under way.

Let your theatre critic frolic for the evening and suspend your disbelief. Combining the best elements of improv and psychosis, Blitz is guaranteed to be a good time.