» joint NWTC/CWC 10-Minute Play Reading Workshop 25 Nov 2008 Organised by: New World Theatre Club/ Creative Writing Club Luxembourg Location:		10 Minute Plays are just as dramatic or funny as you’ll find anywhere. They’re just a lot SHORTER! The 10 Minute Play Festival is an idea which originally started at the Actors‘ Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival of New American Plays over 30 years ago, and has spread like wildfire to regional theatres in the US and Australia. It is a festival in which writers, professional or not, submit a TEN (10) minute original play to be performed in an evening (or two, or more) of selected winners. Here are a few words of inspiration about 10 Minute Plays: "It introduces theatergoers to fascinating stories, diverse worlds, and exciting theatrical voices, in record time." Nina Shengold & Eric Lane, Take Ten II "They are the American theater’s haiku. They must, by nature, imply rather than explain. They often depend on metaphor to extend their reach. They stick like glue in the mind because the viewer remembers the whole play." Producing Director, Humana Festival, Jon Jory. COME JOIN US! There will be a joint NWTC/CWC 10-Minute Play Reading Workshop on Tuesday, November 25th. We’ll also look at the RULES (below) and some helpful guidelines for format and plot. Venue TBA. For more info: Christine: GiaCMP@aol.com or Deborah Deborah.lux@gmail.com The Rules: Six to ten plays will be chosen and performed by a core group of actors with one or more directors at a New World Theatre Club Play festival in Autumn 2009. . . In Addition: . You must live in BENELUX . Write an entire, original play, 10 minutes or less (7-10 pages, double-spaced, one-sided, 12pt font) . No more than 5 characters . You can write about any topic . You can write in any style: Romance, comedy, mystery, tragedy, etc, but it must be a play . Minimal set, minimal costumes and minimal props . Dead line for play entry is March 2009 HINT: Know your local acting talent when considering characters. If we can’t cast it, we can’t produce it! (For example, in Luxembourg the availability of actors in the 40+ age range—especially women-- is much higher than younger actors.) PLUS Top 10 Pitfalls of 10-minute scripts 1. Absence of conflict. This is probably the biggest failing in most plays submitted. Theatre is conflict and far too many plays convey very little trace of it. Conflict between characters builds dramatic tension on stage. 2. Beginnings are easy –––– it’s the middle and end that’s hard . Sadly many plays start strongly but fail to deliver on that initial strength through the middle and to the end. The ending is the final impression your play will leave with your audience so it’s vital to have a strong/good/powerful/unexpected one. (Just one of these is all you need!) 3. Undeveloped, unfinished. You need a good idea that is also well executed. So set yourself a deadline of a few weeks before deadline to have your entry written--that will then give you time to develop the play further before you enter it. 4. Comedy skits or jokes with one punch line Many submitted scripts are not ten-minute plays but rather one minute jokes which are stretched out over ten minutes. Even if the joke is great, finding a theatrically interesting way to tell the story leading up to it is even more important. 5. Give the girls a go. Our largest group of actors auditioning is women, 35-50 years of age. In fact they make up 40% of all actors who audition. So we are always on the look out for plays with good parts for this group. 6. It doesn’t have to be just talk. We aim to present a wide range of theatrical styles. Theatre doesn’t always have to be just about the spoken word. 7. The best way to work out the time of your play is to time it! Read it out loud yourself or get some friends (or actors) around to read it. It’s only once you hear it out loud that you can get an idea of the running time. 9. Too many Scenes. Try to find the best way to tell your story in one smooth, flowing action rather than jumping between many different scenes. 10. Plays not films! Theatre is not film and you must work out a way of telling your story ON STAGE rather than ON FILM. How Should It Look? (Basic Format) The Dead Orange (A play in 10-Minutes) by Geoffrey Grape Cast (List of characters) (Character names in bold and capitals) MR ORANGE Greengrocer, 40s (short description of character if desired) MRS ORANGE The Greengrocer’s wife, 40s MARMIE An orange stealer, 20s Setting (Where the play takes place) A suburban greengrocer shop. (KEEP YOUR SETTING SIMPLE - Remember we may do several plays on the same stage in one night. Keep props and set to an absolute minimum. Only specify props and set if they are absolutely crucial to the action of the play. If not just list where the play is set - as above – and let the director decide what they require to effectively stage the play.) Time (Past, present, future. Time of day, day of week – if desired) The Present. Thursday. Lunchtime. (NO INTRODUCTORY NOTES REQUIRED: We don't require a synopsis of your play. Let your play speak for itself. If you want to include notes, synopsis or an outline, make sure you keep them very brief.) The Dead Orange (Stage Directions in CAPITALS or Italics – you choose) A RUN DOWN GREENGROCER’S SHOP IN SUBURBAN SYDNEY. (More comprehensive description of setting if desired.) IT IS LUNCH TIME AND AS USUAL THE SHOP IS EMPTY. MR GREENGROCER AND MRS GREENGROCER (whenever you refer to the characters in the stage directions it should be in bold) ARE TRYING TO KEEP THEIR FAMILY BUSINESS ALIVE BUT THEY ARE FAILING. (Give us some background on the story if you like but keep it concise and brief.) (Indent the stage directions to denote when the action of the play begins.) AS THE LIGHTS COME UP MRS. GREENGROCER IS CHECKING THE ORANGE STAND. MARMIE, THE ORANGESTEALER, ENTERS. HE IS DRESSED IN A GIANT ORANGE COSTUME AND HAS AN ORANGE GLOW ON HIS FACE. (Give a brief description of the characters costume or appearance if you feel it is vital, but again keep it brief and concise.) MRS GREENGROCER: (PICKING UP AN ORANGE) Is this the last? (Stage directions contained in the dialogue should be in parenthesis and either in CAPITALS or Italics.) THERE IS THE SOUND OF A PLANE PASSING OVER HEAD. (Necessary sound effects should be clearly noted in the text.) More information...

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