Sunday, September 23, 2012

The Challenges Of 10 Minute Play Scripts

By Patrice McCoy


The 10 minute genre has been a genre since 1923 however is was not really respected as such until 1977. It was at the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays that year that these took off. Since that time, festivals have sprung up everywhere celebrating it. 10 minute play scripts give playwrights a great forum to show their best stuff.

The 10 minute show festival is now something that is celebrated yearly across the country. They offer wonderful chances to all who are involved in the theater. They challenge one's skills to be able to tell a story in this short amount of time. August Wilson and Willa Cather, both famous playwrights have tried their hands at this kind of theater.

Ask any playwright and they most assuredly will be familiar with the wonder of this genre. It is very much in demand because of the opportunities it affords those in the world of the theater. The thrill of regaling an entire story in 10 minutes is one that actors, directors and playwrights get excited by.

This affords aspiring student playwrights a wonderful chance to showcase their abilities. Each of these plays needs to have all the parts, which create a full-length show. The action must keep rolling along and an effective and quick pace. There is no room for anything extra and if a person can master this skill their talents have a very good chance at being lauded.

The pressure is great to have every element of a regular length show present in these time-constrained ones. It is completely possible to have it all in this amount of time. A playwright and the actors may really have to work at it though. If hard work is put in, the product can be stunning and life changing.

The great news is that these festivals are everywhere so there are numerous chances to be able to show one's skills. The normal process is to read the guidelines of the specific festival of interest. Then be sure to follow them to the letter for the best chance of getting the script in the show.

A director for the play is the next thing which needs to be found. Who is chosen for this role is just as important as the playwright. Next auditions and castings must occur and then the fast pasted production can begin. It is advised that one should keep the props and scenery very simple.

It might seem like this is snack bag size theater but in reality it is full and intense. It is wonderful for an actor because it is most likely that they will get to play more than one role. For the audience this is the tapas of the theater world and they get to enjoy little tastes of everything.

It doesn't matter if one is part of the play or in the audience because everyone gets to experience the wonder of these plays. The word of the playwright on its journey to the stage is what theater is all about. One should not miss the experience of 10 minute play scripts being performed if one has the chance to be there. It can be a powerful evening of entertainment.




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