The Inkwell: June 2008 Archives
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:
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.
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.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.
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.
So can I enthrall you in a world of intrigue, love, loss, conflict, and high stakes in just ten minutes? Well, a group of us writers, actors, directors, and designers found out how very difficult that is over this past weekend. And we had the most wonderful teacher and guide to help us understand and grapple with the challenge... Gary Garrison.
On the cusp of the Source Festival, a group of fearless theatre artists, including myself (Anne, your intrepid blogger) joined Gary Garrison for a two-day intensive class exploring one of the most popular forms of theater today... the TEN-MINUTE PLAY.
But the truth is, as Gary pointed out at the onset of the class, there are very few ten-minute plays out there. What do you mean, you gasp. Haven't I sat through evening after evening of little plays, with people shouting, laughing, fighting, crawling around, clowning, revealing deep secrets?
NO! Gary will insist. What you've seen are skits, character sketches, and scenes... but NOT ten-minute plays.
SO WHAT ON EARTH IS A TEN-MINUTE PLAY? Just that... a play like any other that involved interesting, complex, surprising characters in a high-stakes conflict. It is a play like any other that resolves in some manner and leaves you feeling complete. As Gary puts it, a good ten-minute play "is a gorgeous, intense story that dissolves and is gone."
You have all the elements of any good play... but you have to set up the characters, the dilemma, the stakes, the complications, the climax... very, very, VERY quickly. In fact, if the audience doesn't understand the basic conflict of the characters in the first page, then you as a writer have failed.
Certainly not as easy to make such a thing as you might think. But Gary provided a road map for success, one that's helpful in formulating any well-made play. Here are a few gems from our wickedly funny, pointedly honest, and endlessly thoughtful teacher:
So Gary has given us a charge: Make a true and compelling ten-minute play. Each student started one as part of the class. Now we are off to revise and remake with Gary's help and guidance. Stay tuned to see what we all come up with!
That's the beloved Gary Garrison above, giving us all the lowdown on the ten-minute play. Just between you and me, it took me less than ten minutes to fall for Gary.
On the cusp of the Source Festival, a group of fearless theatre artists, including myself (Anne, your intrepid blogger) joined Gary Garrison for a two-day intensive class exploring one of the most popular forms of theater today... the TEN-MINUTE PLAY.
But the truth is, as Gary pointed out at the onset of the class, there are very few ten-minute plays out there. What do you mean, you gasp. Haven't I sat through evening after evening of little plays, with people shouting, laughing, fighting, crawling around, clowning, revealing deep secrets?
NO! Gary will insist. What you've seen are skits, character sketches, and scenes... but NOT ten-minute plays.
SO WHAT ON EARTH IS A TEN-MINUTE PLAY? Just that... a play like any other that involved interesting, complex, surprising characters in a high-stakes conflict. It is a play like any other that resolves in some manner and leaves you feeling complete. As Gary puts it, a good ten-minute play "is a gorgeous, intense story that dissolves and is gone."
You have all the elements of any good play... but you have to set up the characters, the dilemma, the stakes, the complications, the climax... very, very, VERY quickly. In fact, if the audience doesn't understand the basic conflict of the characters in the first page, then you as a writer have failed.
Certainly not as easy to make such a thing as you might think. But Gary provided a road map for success, one that's helpful in formulating any well-made play. Here are a few gems from our wickedly funny, pointedly honest, and endlessly thoughtful teacher:
- Don't be afraid to write complex and surprising characters in a ten-minute play. Human nature is infinitely complex, surprising, and fascinating. There's no reason not to explore that in a ten-minute play.
- Drop your characters in the center of the conflict. You don't have time to build up the tension in ten minutes. You and your audience need to be there on the first page.
- Make sure the needs are clear and the stakes are high. Each character must need something desperately... or wouldn't they just walk off the stage?
- Keep it simple. You can't explore the whole of geopolitics in ten minutes. There's nothing wrong with picking a simple, keenly dramatic conflict between characters.
- Be theatrical. You're in the theater! Make your play an immediate, visceral, imaginative experience. A character can float to the moon. Godzilla can enter a coffee shop. It's all possible.
So Gary has given us a charge: Make a true and compelling ten-minute play. Each student started one as part of the class. Now we are off to revise and remake with Gary's help and guidance. Stay tuned to see what we all come up with!
That's the beloved Gary Garrison above, giving us all the lowdown on the ten-minute play. Just between you and me, it took me less than ten minutes to fall for Gary.
Hello all -
It's the ghost of Anne returning to tell you about the latest goings on at The Inkwell. While we all needed a bit of a rest after the January Inkubator festivities, Inkwellians soon revived and we have been busy scheming and planning. And now our latest plot is coming to fruition!
Over the next three weeks, we are teaming up with the folks of the Source Festival to offer a series of panels that explore various aspects of playmaking. And we've brought some rather distinguished theatre artists from out of town to join us in the discussion.
Here's the lowdown (you can also take a look at our calendar for more details, including more detailed biographies of each of the panelists:
Award-winning teacher and theatre artist Gary Garrison and Heideman Award winning playwright Marco Ramirez head up the first of three panel discussions hosted by The Inkwell as part of the Source Festival (June 23rd-July 6th) at the newly renovated Source Theatre. This first panel, Ten-Minute Plays in American Theatre (held on June 22nd at 8:00 p.m.), focuses on one of the most innovative and popular forms of theatre in America Today. Jeremy Skidmore, the producer of the Source Festival, is the third panelist.
Garrison, Ramirez, and Skidmore bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and insights into the discussion of this important theatrical form. Gary Garrison is renowned teacher, playwright, and author who serves as the Executive Director for Creative Affairs of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Artistic Director and Division Head of Playwriting for the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at the Tisch School of the Arts. Miami-based playwright Marco Ramirez won the prestigious Heideman Award for this short play I am not Batman from the Actors Theatre of Louisville and is the literary manager for the City Theatre that produces the Summer Shorts American Short Play Festival. Jeremy Skidmore is the producer of the Source Festival, a Helen Hayes nominated director, and the former artistic director of DC's Theatre Alliance.
In addition to participating in this first panel, Gary Garrison will teach a weekend playwriting master class, How to Write a Kick-Ass Ten-Minute Play (June 21st and 22nd at Flashpoint, culminating in a viewing of ten-minute plays at the Source Theatre on June 23rd). Sorry, folks, the class is sold out!
The second panel, Collaboration in New Work (held on June 29th at 5 p.m.), features Synetic Theater's dynamic and award-winning collaborating team Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili. The third and final panel, New Works in Washington (held on July 6th at 5:00 p.m.), features David Dower, Associate Artistic Director at Arena Stage and head of its new Cradle program, as well as noted Washington City Paper theatre critic, Trey Graham, exploring the role that the Nation's Capital plays in the emergence of a new generation of playwrights.
Our illustrious Artistic Director, Jessica Burgess, will moderate each of the panels.
Designed to complement the programming of the Source Festival, each of The Inkwell's panel discussion focuses on a different aspect of playmaking that relates to the festival's showcases of ten-minute plays, interdisciplinary projects, and one-act plays.
So please come out and join us for the conversation. And if you can't, please check back here as various Inkwellians (and maybe a few special guests) share with you all the juicy details.
It's the ghost of Anne returning to tell you about the latest goings on at The Inkwell. While we all needed a bit of a rest after the January Inkubator festivities, Inkwellians soon revived and we have been busy scheming and planning. And now our latest plot is coming to fruition!
Over the next three weeks, we are teaming up with the folks of the Source Festival to offer a series of panels that explore various aspects of playmaking. And we've brought some rather distinguished theatre artists from out of town to join us in the discussion.
Here's the lowdown (you can also take a look at our calendar for more details, including more detailed biographies of each of the panelists:
Award-winning teacher and theatre artist Gary Garrison and Heideman Award winning playwright Marco Ramirez head up the first of three panel discussions hosted by The Inkwell as part of the Source Festival (June 23rd-July 6th) at the newly renovated Source Theatre. This first panel, Ten-Minute Plays in American Theatre (held on June 22nd at 8:00 p.m.), focuses on one of the most innovative and popular forms of theatre in America Today. Jeremy Skidmore, the producer of the Source Festival, is the third panelist.
Garrison, Ramirez, and Skidmore bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and insights into the discussion of this important theatrical form. Gary Garrison is renowned teacher, playwright, and author who serves as the Executive Director for Creative Affairs of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Artistic Director and Division Head of Playwriting for the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at the Tisch School of the Arts. Miami-based playwright Marco Ramirez won the prestigious Heideman Award for this short play I am not Batman from the Actors Theatre of Louisville and is the literary manager for the City Theatre that produces the Summer Shorts American Short Play Festival. Jeremy Skidmore is the producer of the Source Festival, a Helen Hayes nominated director, and the former artistic director of DC's Theatre Alliance.
In addition to participating in this first panel, Gary Garrison will teach a weekend playwriting master class, How to Write a Kick-Ass Ten-Minute Play (June 21st and 22nd at Flashpoint, culminating in a viewing of ten-minute plays at the Source Theatre on June 23rd). Sorry, folks, the class is sold out!
The second panel, Collaboration in New Work (held on June 29th at 5 p.m.), features Synetic Theater's dynamic and award-winning collaborating team Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili. The third and final panel, New Works in Washington (held on July 6th at 5:00 p.m.), features David Dower, Associate Artistic Director at Arena Stage and head of its new Cradle program, as well as noted Washington City Paper theatre critic, Trey Graham, exploring the role that the Nation's Capital plays in the emergence of a new generation of playwrights.
Our illustrious Artistic Director, Jessica Burgess, will moderate each of the panels.
Designed to complement the programming of the Source Festival, each of The Inkwell's panel discussion focuses on a different aspect of playmaking that relates to the festival's showcases of ten-minute plays, interdisciplinary projects, and one-act plays.
So please come out and join us for the conversation. And if you can't, please check back here as various Inkwellians (and maybe a few special guests) share with you all the juicy details.
