The ArtsCenter will present “Ten by Ten in the Triangle,” its third annual international festival of 10 new 10-minute plays, July 8-18 in Carrboro, NC. The festival’s tagline is: “Ten Plays, Ten Actors, Ten Minutes, Ten Bucks.” Organizers call these 10 scripts, which a panel of theater artists and educators selected from more than 400 submissions from all over the world, “Ten Bolts of Lightning.”
This Saturday night, July 10th, audience members will have a chance to meet and greet some of the festival playwrights, actors, and directors at a post-show reception hosted by the Windy Oaks Inn, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green’s former home in Chapel Hill.
It takes approximately six months a year to select the scripts and arrange the production of each year’s festival, says ArtsCenter director of theater Lynden W. Harris.
She adds, “I have two main reasons for investing the time and energy in the festival. [First, there is] the ever-elusive possibility of getting new audience members into the theater to see new plays. These are talented, accomplished playwrights; and we’re fortunate to be able to catch their work in Chapel Hill. And the audience really does turn out.
“[Second, there is] the opportunity to showcase a local theater in a national context. I like that we’re developing a reputation for “Ten by Ten in the Triangle.” I hope we continue to grow the festival,” says Harris.
This year’s top 10 scripts include:
* “Hating Beckett” by John Yearley, who won the Samuel French Award for his play “A Low-Lying Fog,” which was featured in last year’s “Ten by Ten in the Triangle” festival. The ArtsCenter claims, “There ARE some things worse than death.”
* “Interrogating the Power of Art” by Vermont College teacher and dramatist Diane Lefer. The ArtsCenter says, “Trapped. In a room. With interrogators. And you thought it was art.”
* “Measuring Matthew” by Colorado playwright Patrick Gabridge. The ArtsCenter asks, “Can Matthew count the ways in which he loves Jennifer? His OCD says you bet.”
* “Night Before Last” by Doug Reed, who was a finalist in the Actor’s Theatre Of Louisville Ten-Minute Play contest. “The confessions of Sacco and Vanzetti. Not what you thought,” says The ArtsCenter.
* “The Rental” by Los Angeles playwright Mark Harvey Levine. The ArtsCenter says, “Meet the man of your dreams. On your birthday. For a very affordable price.”
* “On the Natural Form” by Providence, Rhode Island dramatist Woodbridge M. Kelly. The ArtsCenter notes, “Sometimes you just have to reinvent the wheel.”
* “Ship of Fools” by Colorado playwright Patrick Gabridge. The ArtsCenter describes this one-act as “Role-playing to die for.”
* “Something Went Wrong” by Delaware dramatist Matt Casarino. “A living room. A married couple. A dead clown. So what else is new?” asks The ArtsCenter.
* “A Thorn in Her Side” by prize-winning playwright Sara Snyder. The ArtsCenter asks, “Just how far beneath the covers will Estelle go to avoid her 25th anniversary party?”
* “Young Love” by Jay Hanagan, who had three plays performed at this year’s Samuel French Fest. The ArtsCenter says it is “Mom’s first date and anxieties are high. Not to worry; her teenage daughter is there to help.”
The directors of these 10 scripts will include Scott Franco, Jill Greeson, Lynden Harris, Dan Helias, Greg Hohn, Thomas “TeKay” King, and Meredith Sause.
The festival actors will include Joe Brack, Thaddaeus Edwards, Nicole Farmer, Jill Greeson, Rus Hames, Katja Hill, Victor Lee, Eryn Makepeace, Jackson Sowell, and Lauren Walker.
The ArtsCenter presents “Ten by Ten in the Triangle” Thursday-Saturday, July 8-10 and 15-17, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 11 and 18, at 3 p.m. in its West End Theatre, 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro, North Carolina. Note: There will be a post-show reception July 10th at the Windy Oaks Inn, 1164 Old Lystra Rd., Chapel Hill, NC. $10. 919/929-2787. The ArtsCenter: http://www.artscenterlive.org/theater.html.