Kennedy Center: ACTF - Ten-Minute Play Festival

“After years of the literature of the Freudian revelation and decades of the television sit-com, problem drama, and social commentary of the week, we've developed an emotional shorthand which these plays suit perfectly. Bam! A page to set the situation. Crash! A few character details. Wham! The obstacle. And Shazam, the resolution.They are the haiku of the theatre and can evoke the same pleasure. At their very best they are perfect single gestures of theatricality and language.”
Jon Jory
From the foreword to
More Ten-Minute Plays from the
Actors Theatre of Louisville

Each region establishes submission criteria for its regional ten-minute play festival Selected playwrights will work with a director, dramaturg and actors to develop a staged reading of the play, followed by a response session with guest respondents during the regional festival. All colleges and universities with at least one Participating or Associate Entry in KCACTF XXXIV may enter the Ten-Minute Play Festival at no additional charge. Regional submissions from schools with no entries in Festival XXXIV will pay a $20 entry fee per submission to the regional playwriting chair.

One winning Ten-Minute Play and playwright from each region will be invited to the national KCACTF at the Kennedy Center in late April. At that time, each of the eight plays will again be presented as a staged reading in the Kennedy Center Theatre Lab with a cast made up of the national Irene Ryan acting scholarship finalists. The best Ten-Minute Play from each region will be published by Dramatic Publishing Company.

A first place award of $1000 will be given to the playwright selected from the national festival finalists. Selection of the national winner is based on a reading of the eight finalists’ plays by the national selection team. For more information on entering a ten-minute play, contact your regional playwriting chair.

2007
Mammals, Ryan Dowler, University of Texas-El Paso

2006
By Design, David Eames Harlan, University of Idaho

2005

Region One
TATOO by Donna Keegan, Boston University

Region Two
THE FREEZING PHENOMON by Emily Hawe, New York University

Region Three
FOR AND AGAINST by Mark Witteveen, Ohio University

Region Four
BELLEROPHON'S FALL by James Houk, Middle Tennessee State University

Region Five
THE HOLLOW by Mary Barile, University of Missouri-Columbia

Region Six
THE RED ZONE by AE Edwards, University of Arkansas

Region Seven
DIGGER by Jessi Sundell, University of Wyoming

Region Eight
HEART by Ross Canton, Loyola Marymount University

2004

Region One
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN by Gregory Fletcher, Boston University*

Region Two
A SAD SONG by Anna Ziegler, New York University-Tisch School of the Arts

Region Three
WHO IS RUTH? by Matthew J. Hanson, Beloit College

Region Four
HAROLD AND HERMAN MET ON A FALL AFTERNOON by Austin Sanders, Middle Tennessee State University

Region Five
THE STORY OF IZANAGI AND IZANAMI by Kristen Wirsig* English Alternative Theatre at the University of Kansas

Region Six
BREAKFAST WITH FRED AND ETHYL by Benjamin Lutz, Southern Methodist University**

Region Seven
BUTTERCUP by Delondra Johnson, Central Washington University

Region Eight
THE FIRST PAGE by Jan Probst, San Francisco State University

* Winner of the 2004Ten-Minute Play Festival Award
** Recipient of the Dad's Garage Theatre Company Fellowship

2003

Region One
Soot by Christopher Kloko, Emmanuel College

Region Two
The Freedom Train by Katori Hall, Columbia University

Region Three
Vanishing Act by Eric Pals, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Region Four
Faces Fade by Tim Bohn, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Region Five
Attack of the Asians by Tim Macy, English Alternative Theatre at the University of Kansas

Region Six
Rumple Schmumple by Megan Gogerty, University of Texas at Austin**

Region Seven
Blind Date Gone Good by Thomas Michael Campbell, University of Wyoming

Region Eight
The Crossing by James Garcia, Arizona State University*

* Winner of the 2003 Ten-Minute Play Festival Award
** Recipient of the Dad’s Garage Theatre Company Fellowship

2002

Region One
A KITE
by Patrick McKay, Stonehill College, Massachusetts

Region Two
RUG RAGE
by Elizabeth Hemmerdinger, New York University

Region Three
DUEL
by Jon Haller, Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin

Region Four
WHAT’S EATING YOU
by Mack Williams, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Region Five
YOUR TYPICAL, EVERYDAY, LIGHTHEARTED, ROMANTIC COMEDY*
by Valerie Johnson, University of Northern Iowa

Region Six
TALKING HEADS,
by Hank Willenbrink, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma

Region Seven
FOREVER BLUE or THE PREGNANCY TEST
by Todd McCullough, University of Wyoming, Laramie

Region Eight
THE HOURGLASS
by Ryan Mark, California State University-San Bernardino

*- Winner of the 2002 Ten-Minute Play Festival Award

2001

Region One
Lindsay Joy, Life, Love and a 7-11
University of New Hampshire, Durham

Region Two
Morgan Mitchell, The Lot War
Carnegie Mellon University

Region Three
Lusona, Jon Haller
Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin

Region Four
Maggie Anderson, Broken Blinker
James Madison University

Region Five
Sarah Pottorf, Because I Was Sitting Here
Emporia State University

Region Six
Kathy Doss, Clouds
McNeese State University

Region Seven
Stephen Austin II, Vowels
Western Washington University

Region Eight
Jennifer Kollmer, You’re It
San Francisco State University

2000

Region I: House in the Woods, Jesse Holland, Middlebury College, Vermont

Region II: The Interview, John Paul Nickel, Point Park College, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania

Region III: Charleston's Finger, Sean Michael Welch, University of Michigan-Flint,

Region IV: The Individuality of Streetlamps, Anna K. Gorisch, Middle Tennessee
State University, Murfreesboro

Region V: Pterodactyls, Scott Ferree, University of Kansas, Lawrence

Region VI: The Little Things, Graham Gordy, University of Central Arkansas,
Conway

Region VII: The Garden of Earthly Delights, Stephen Austin II, Western Washington
University, Bellingham

Region VIII: Steel Spring, Ryan Kelly, University of California, Los Angeles

The Individuality of Streetlamps was selected as the winning 10-Minute Play. The selection was based on a reading of the eight finalists scripts by the 2000 National Selection of KC/ACTF. Ms. Gorisch received a cash award of $1000.

1999

Region I: Edna, Joanna Nadler, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Region II: Language Lessons, Julia Cho, New York University, NYC

Region III: Comfortable Breakfasts, Joseph Barnett, Miami University, Oxford, OH

Region IV: Love with Dick and Jane, Joe Waechter, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Region V: Party Favors, Jeffrey Carrillo, University of Missouri, Columbia

Region VI: A Little Crazy, Michael Johnson, Tarrant County Junior College, NE Campus, Fort Worth, TX

Region VII: Why Don't We Fish, Tamara Shores, Boise State University, ID

Region VIII: 45, John Aceves, Humboldt State University, Arcadia, CA

Rules and Procedures

There is a 10-minute (7-10 pages, 12 point font) limit for each play. Plays that arrive at the Kennedy Center will be cut if their running time is longer than 10 minutes.
The 10-minute play competition is limited to students enrolled in a college or university during the festival year.
Eligibility for entering a 10-minute play in the national showcase is based on whether the playwright's school has entered a participating or associate level entry in KC/ACTF during the festival year. Plays from schools that do not have a participating or associate entry will submit a $20 fee for each 10-minute play payable to the region.

The national winning 10-minute play will be selected prior to the national festival and will be based on readings of the eligible finalist scripts.

[Picture of the staged reading of Charleston's Finger]

The staged reading of Charleston's Finger by Sean Michael Welch, University of Michigan-Flint, featuring the National finalists of the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship at the National KC/ACTF in April 2000.

Dad’s Garage Theatre Company Fellowship

Another ten-minute play and playwright will be invited to Atlanta as part of the Dad’s Garage Theatre Company’s 8 1/2 X 11: Atlanta’s Most Dangerous Short Play Festival on full fellowship.

2007
Ravishment, Randall Colburn, Southern Illinois University