![]() The adult folks at The Playwrights’ Center gave me impatient glares. I kicked off both seminars with the same joke regarding the tribulations of a certain playwright who walked into a bar. ![]() And beyond exploration…we will dabble with creation! So bring an idea, a character, or a situation you’ve always wanted to see on stage and prepare to weave your next 10-minute play. We will explore the variations of structure, the positing of character and the emotional impact that make up a tantalizing 10 minutes. The short one-act is the bolt of theatrical lightning which has become a prevalent form of theatrical expressiveness. The latter maybe because there wasn’t an intermission?Īnyway, the seminar teaser copy used to entice… I would gauge both sessions as not a total failure since 1) only 5 people fell asleep during my presentations, and 2) no one walked out on me. The second session, the reprise, occurred at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival. The first seminar I taught was at The Playwrights’ Center. Rife with the potential danger of turning you into a psychotic mess.Īnd if you thought writing a 10-Minute Play was all this…try teaching it! Last week I twice taught a seminar on writing the 10-Minute Play. ![]() Oh wait, sorry, when I wrote that it was easy, I meant hard. Writing a 10-Minute play is easy! All you have to do is come up with an ingenious idea, figure an inventive and enthralling stage mechanism, employ riveting and tender characters, serve boiling hot action, and implant sensational dialog. Yeah, I know this example is pretty nutty, but do you understand what I mean?Ī problem to be solved leading to a climax and resolution, interesting unique situation, and interesting unique characters are the key to a GREAT 10 Minute Play.Originally published Januon. Situational Model: The play is driven by an odd, strange or unique situation - it doesn't necessarily have a character resolution.Įxample: Two guys meet at a health clinic to get tested for stds and they discover that they are dating the same woman.Ĭharacter Driven Model: The fun and through line of this type of play is the unique and interesting characters depicted and their interaction.Įxample: Two over the top flaming drag queens who live together make Sunday moring pancakes together. What fun, huh?Īll of these models are viable for the 10 Minute Play.īut the best model is to use ALL THREE AT THE SAME TIME.Ĭreate a 10 minute play with a problem to be solved, leading to a climax and a resolution, with a really interesting situation, and with interesting and unique characters!Įxample: A lonely depressed woman with Tourettes Syndrome who is desperate to find a mate and a lonely depressed one legged deaf man, also desperate, go on a blind date at an ultra high end restaurant where they encounter an angry New York waiter, and through a series of comedic events, they finally connect and fall in love. There are other unique play models that work for the 10 minute play.Ĭlassic Model: A problem to be solved leading to a climax and resolution.Įxample: A depressed divorced man down on his luck, longing to be in a relationship, goes on a horrible blind date and realizes he would be happier alone. You have very little time to develop your characters.Īnd you have very little time to set up and develop your storyline.Īnd because your 10 minute play is short the classic model of Playwriting (Problem to be solved, leading to climax and resolution) doesn't necessarily apply. This is a no-brainer: THE 10 MINUTE PLAY IS SHORTER. And because 10 minute plays are different, you can actually do things with a 10 minute play that you can't do with a longer play. So 10 minute plays are in! There are a myriad of theatres that are hosting 10 minute play festivals or 10 minute play competitions, and it is a great way to get your work out there and have some awesome theatrical fun without spending a lot of time and money.īut you have to realized that the 10 minute play is very different from your average One Act or Full-Length play.
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