Playwright For Tips (Las Vegas)

October 2024

An experiment to see if Down Stage Write’s ‘Playwrights for Hire’ event would attract attention in the middle of Fremont Street, the only built up area of Las Vegas where buskers are legally allowed to perform.

In order to secure my space in one of the designated ‘busking zones’, I had to register as a street performer on the City of Las Vegas website. After this was approved, I entered a lottery at the start of each week I was in Vegas. I was successful on one occasion and was sent an email to confirm that I was allotted Space 21 (West of Fourth Street) from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

It took two hours to walk to Fremont Street, lugging two unwieldy metal folding chairs and a whiteboard. On arrival, a security officer informed me that chairs were no longer permitted for buskers and I would have to remove them from the area immediately. I attempted to cajole nearby casinos into holding the chairs behind a counter, unsuccessfully. Eventually, my prayers were answered by a restaurant named ‘Tacos & Miches’, who agreed to store the chairs in the cleaning closet. As promised that day, I would like to thank them publicly for their goodwill.

At last able to begin my ‘performance’, I received a mixed response from the locals and tourists streaming by. Many were happy to speak with me and learn what a play was, but fewer believed that if they gave me money now that I would deliver on my pledge to email them their commission later that day. I secured three patrons: a volleyball team on tour, a cryptocurrency salesman and the security guard who stripped me of my chairs. Collectively, they donated $21 (interestingly matching my allocation number / the ideal total in a hand of Blackjack).

“Do you mean a play, like in football?”
- Security Guard, Fremont Street