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Ten Minute Plays

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Topic: Ten Minute Plays

Posted By: DWolfman
Subject: Ten Minute Plays
Date Posted: 7/09/05 at 5:58pm

One of the hot concepts for the past few years has been "ten minute plays." Am gathering production info and possible scripts for a local presentation.

Has anyone done or considered doing an evening of these? What problems, snags, successes did you have or worry about?

If I choose eight (four and four with intermission) is that too many with setup and strike time in between?

What are your thoughts on these questions, or ten-minute plays in general?

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Even a man who is pure of heart...

Replies:

Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 7/09/05 at 6:13pm

I love them.

I've directed several different productions comprised of 10-
minute plays.

They're a bit of a hard-sell - audiences - for some reason -
aren't wild about short plays (surprising, since they're so
accustomed to short stretches of entertainment on tv). But I've
always had a hard time getting sold out houses for short - or
even one act - plays. Maybe it's geographical.

Do you know the plays of David Ives' "All in the Timing"?
Or the Actors' Theatre Of Louisville 10-minute play series?

Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 7/09/05 at 6:34pm

Originally posted by tristanrobin

I love them.

Do you know the plays of David Ives' "All in the Timing"?
Or the Actors' Theatre Of Louisville 10-minute play series?

Yes to both. Have seen a local version of "All In The Timing" which I enjoyed immensely and am rummaging through ATL's productions for some of the plays I'm hoping to produce.

I agree with your observation on audience scarcity. I've been involved both acting and directing one-acts and evenings of those. They have been much more fulfilling to the audiences that saw them than some of the two+ hour "less than satisfying" "full" shows I have suffered through.

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Even a man who is pure of heart...

Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 7/12/05 at 2:27pm

the university i went to did a festival of 10 minuet plays every year. They were writtem by our playwriting class. Production is not to bad if you keep everything simple. We used our lab furinture for every play. every piece was painted the same grey color so the show had a pulled together look.It was always a blast!

good luck

Posted By: ljstockham813
Date Posted: 7/15/05 at 1:08am

I have had one done recently as a radio drama (although initially written for the stage). It was broadcast not only on Bay Area (San Francisco, California) radio station but national public radio, and over the internet (picked up globally). I would like to see 10-minute plays done between two or three 30-minute to 40-minute one acts. Makes a nice break. Sometimes an evening of one-acts can be too much, particularly if they are all within the 30 to 40-minute range and do not have a shared theme. My suggestion: go for it.

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Linda Stockham
Playwright/Cultural Anthropologist