Short, fast theater takes the stage

Seattle-area playwrights are ringing in the New Year with two showcases for their latest musings.

"14/48"

This event bills itself as the quickest new-play festival in the world, and there's some truth in advertising in that boast. Since 2003, the fest has gathered dramatists, musicians, actors, directors and other stage artists together to whip up fresh playlets, lickety-split.

In just 48 hours, they will decide on a theme, jot new scripts, design and rehearse their world premieres, and then perform them before an audience. The next weekend, another batch of theater folk will repeat the process all over again.

The fest may not yield enduring works, but it has become a cult-fave among fans who love the marathon nature of this creative event. This year's playwrights participating include Scot Augustson, Keri Healey, Paul Mullin and Patrick Scott. And the actors? Lots of them.

"14/48": 8 and 10:30 p.m. Jan. 9-10 and Jan. 16-17 at Bullitt Cabaret, ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle; $20/advance; $25/door (206-292-7676 or www.1448fest.com).

"The 20th Century"

More drama nuggets can be mined at Northwest Playwrights Alliance's unveiling of a dozen theatrical vignettes on the broad topic of "the events, issues, and personalities of the most bizarre, dense, evolved, and involved century in the history of the world."

Steven Dietz, Ki Gottberg, Lee Strucker and Nadine Caracciolio are among the contributing playwrights, and there's a planned tour of this bill in the works (to New York and London).

8 p.m. Jan. 9-10 at the Shoebox Performance Space, 1404 18th Ave., Seattle; $15 (425-417 — 1964 or www.brownpapertickets.com).

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com