Seven teams, a gaggle of actors, a teeming band, sleep deprivation, one theme per show, Go! Last Saturday’s theme was “No good deed goes unpunished,” although in only one piece was the theme overtly referenced: Chris Haddad’s comedy about a smug Capitol Hill type who refuses to take a picture for a tourist couple, driving the lady half to seek assistance from a hairy Brazilian gigolo (who did not go for his nation’s famous wax treatment) to the strains of a sexy samba. Several plays had occult elements, including MJ Sieber’s “Inanimacy,” in which inanimate objects that fall down a heroine’s backyard hole come to life, including a 6-foot stuffed animal named “Coochie,” and a can of Miller beer; and “Mr. Jibbers” by Erin Stewart, in which a puppet boy is assaulted by ornery commands from a sock hand until finally the hand strangles the boy’s father, and we wonder if it was all a dream. Most had a discernible story arc; those that meandered were salvaged by good direction and strong performances. Seven new teams start from scratch this weekend. MARGARET FRIEDMAN

Fri., July 31, 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 1, 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 7, 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 8, 8 & 10:30 p.m., 2009