Founded in 2006 by Abby Broberg (CC ‘08) and Rosalind Grush (CC ‘08), Egg & Peacock is a one-day play extravaganza where teams of writers, directors, and actors come together to write, cast, and perform short plays within the span of 24-hours.
According to Broberg, the name originates from a painting of a vase and a pair of glasses in the Guggenheim, that looked like an egg and peacock. That painting inspired a comic strip, which in turn inspired Egg & Peacock as an initiative to showcase more student-written theatre.
Egg & Peacock often promotes one shared theme throughout the works written. Sometimes, as with the recent Egg & Peacock XI: Boyband edition, where each group was assigned a specific boyband to incorporate into their story, the theme is obvious and specific. However Egg & Peacock I asked that plays should begin with the line that ended the previous play, the only constraint placed on writers.
Sample Egg & Peacock Schedule:
12:00 AM - Writing begins
6:00 AM - Read-through with directors
8:00 AM - Auditions
10:00 AM - Casting
11:00 AM - Rehearsals begin
4:00 PM - Tech begins
7:00 PM - Dinner
7:30 PM - Show call
8:00 PM - Show 1
10:00 PM - Show 2
Egg & Peacock Production History:
2006 - Egg & Peacock
2007 - Egg & Peacock II
2008 - Egg & Peacock III
2009 - Egg & Peacock IV
2010 - Egg & Peacock V
2011 - Egg & Peacock VI
2012 - Egg & Peacock VII
2013 - Egg & Peacock VIII: Or What You Will
2014 - Egg & Peacock IX: Clue Edition
2015 - Egg & Peacock X: Real World
2016 - Egg & Peacock XI: Boyband Edition
2017 - Egg & Peacock XII: Under the Sea
2019 - Egg & Peacock XIII: Princess Edition
2020 - Egg & Peacock XIV: Astrology Edition
2022 - Egg & Peacock XV: Creatures of the Night
2023 - Egg & Peacock XVI: Bugs
EGG & PEACOCK MUSINGS
“At 4 a.m., she found herself with a script about nuns and a caterpillar costume. That night, her mind went to places it had never been before.”
—Molly Heller, via Kally Patz, The Columbia Spectator
“Egg & Peacock is a really cool tradition that displays our theatrically talented peers and promotes equality in Columbia’s own theater community”
—Kiani Ned, The Barnard Voice
“It's liberating," she said. “You can't be a perfectionist in this type of environment."
—Marilyn Minton, Producer Egg & Peacock X