The Playwright's Full Calendar

In participating locales -- which include such cities as Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Austin and vaster regions such as the Carolinas -- activity revolves around "hub" theaters. Each hub vetted applications and/or recruited partners until it had 52 participating organizations, each agreeing to do a week's worth of works.

In New York, the Public is the hub. In Washington, it's the Studio, helped by a "council" that includes the African Continuum Theatre Company, Round House Theatre, Signature Theatre and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. (Performance venues and schedules can be found on the Studio Web site, which links to the "365 Days/365 Plays" national site.)

The only guidelines from Parks and Metzgar: Perform the works chronologically, respect the text and keep admission free (or perhaps pass a hat for donations).

"Yes, we have the Public Theatre," Parks said, mock-trumpeting a fanfare. "But also old folks' homes in Atlanta." And architecture students and scientists and visual artists taking the material on.

"If Donald Rumsfeld has some time on his hands," she jested, feeling for the outer reaches of inclusiveness.

Splashy as it is, there's no money in it for Parks; her licensing fee is $1 per play. And though "365" was published this week by Theatre Communications Group, it's also available on TCG's Web site -- one play a day, for free.

"Negative money," Parks said breezily. She seems genuinely awed and energized by the innovation and connections flowering around her. This opening week alone, she and Metzgar are trekking through New York, the "365 University" at Yale, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, San Antonio and finishing in Denver, where Metzgar is associate artistic director of the Curious Theatre Company.

"And all through the year," Parks said, "it'll be like a year-long party."

In Chicago, Serendipity Theatre Collective will read its group of Parks plays at a wine bar. Bailiwick Repertory Theatre is working with seven new directors, all using the set for "The Christmas Schooner" during a week when that family show is scheduled strictly for matinees. Said Artistic Director David Zak, "We all talk about building cultural bridges, but often it's hard enough just to keep your own doors open."

In Manhattan, the Foundry Theatre's programming currently revolves around food, water and shelter, so its installment of "365" will be the centerpiece of "A Free-Range Thanksgiving." It's a once-only feast for 100 people, divided equally between theater artists and food producers -- farmers and distributors.

"There is no audience," explained Foundry Artistic Director Melanie Joseph. "It's a dinner. That Suzan-Lori was generous enough to make this available to that kind of freedom was glorious."

In Washington, approaches will include the Studio's traditional "chamber theater" staging on the set of its recently closed "Red Light Winter" and a radio teleconference by the American Century Theatre the week before Christmas. Studio dramaturg Danielle Mages Amato, Washington's "365" coordinator, cautions that all concepts are "provisional," that things might change.