More to Say about the Ten-Minute Play

We at The Inkwell just couldn't get enough of ten-minute plays this weekend.

First, we held a class on how to write a kick-ass ten-minute play with the incomparable Gary Garrison.  Then on Sunday night, we hosted a panel with three experts on the form.  And we got an earful on the ten-minute play, from its origins to the benefits of the ten-minute play festival to the topics that seem to be on the minds of playwrights across America.

Gary stuck around to spread his wisdom and opinions.  In addition, award-winning playwright Marco Ramirez (also literary manager of Miami's City Theatre, which produces nothing but short plays) and Source Festival Producer Jeremy Skidmore chimed in on the discussion.

From left to right, Jeremy Skidmore, Marco Ramirez, and Gary Garrison discuss the merits and problems with the ten-minute play at the newly renovated Source Theater.
Where did the ten-minute play come from?  The origins of the form trace back to John Jory, who served as the producing director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of new plays.  In the 1980s, he introduced a festival of ten-minute plays to complement the longer works performed as part of the festival.  Today there are hundreds of ten-minute play festivals across the country.  And they generally sell out.

So why is the ten-minute play so wildly popular?  For a theater producer, a festival of ten-minute plays provides the opportunity to showcase the work of dozens of playwrights at very little cost.  For Jeremy in particular, the showcase of ten-minute plays that he is producing as part of the Source Festival allowed him to match area artistic directors with a bevy of talented non-equity actors who they might not ever meet otherwise.  For the theatre-goer, such a festival provides a chance to hear many diverse voices, see many different forms, and meditate on a wide variety of themes and issues.

The problem?  As Gary stated so emphatically in his class, very few playwrights actually write true ten-minute plays; most festivals are full of sketches and character scenes.  Another issue:  the form is very seductive for the playwright, since it's the easiest way to get your work seen and heard.  So what happens to the full-length play?  Gary worries about this.  Marco — who won the prestigious Heideman Prize for best ten-minute play awarded by the Actors Theatre of Louisville — admitted that he feels most comfortable with the form and isn't sure he's ready to write a longer play.

Here are some other random facts, thoughts, and observations offered by the panelists:

• There are more than 400 different festivals and/or venues showcasing ten-minute plays, representing explosive growth over a short period of time.  When Gary Garrison wrote the first edition of his book on ten-minute plays (Perfect 10) eight years ago, he listed 30 festivals.

• The producers of the Source Festival received 910 plays to consider for its showcase of 25 ten-minute plays.

• Some of the major themes of ten-minutes plays that Marco, Gary, and Jeremy have read include various perspectives on Aghanistan and Iraq, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the difficulties creating and sustaining intimacy in our time and age.

• Topics and situations that panelists were totally sick of reading and seeing:  coming out plays and conversations set in coffee houses.

• Marco Ramirez is always waiting for King Kong or Godzilla to enter that coffee shop in a play.

All agreed that the form provides everyone — theatre artists and audience alike — a chance to see a snapshot of American culture through the eyes of the playwright... and all in ten minutes.

If you're here in the Nation's capital, check out the collection of ten-minute plays produced as part of the Source Festival.  I (this is Anne, by the way) saw the first night's showing and there's some interesting work from some very talented actors, directors, and writers.  A collective favorite — the monologue about a soldier and his epic battle with a horse in Afghanistan.