30 Ten Minute Plays for 2 Actors from Actors Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest (Contemporary Playwrights)

Rating:
Summary: Short is beautiful!
Review: "30 Ten-Minute Plays for 2 Actors, from Actors Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest," edited by Michael Bigelow Dixon, Amy Wegener, and Karen C. Petruska, is an outstanding anthology dedicated to a very specific theatrical genre. It is part of a set of three volumes of 10-minute plays. One of the other volumes contains plays for 3 actors, and the other has pieces for 4, 5, or 6 actors.

The introduction to this book notes, "Over the past two decades, the ten-minute play has established itself as a potent and durable form in American theater." The editors further compare this genre to other short literary forms such as the editorial. They also note that the plays in this volume are all by American playwrights.

The thirty plays are a very diverse group. In this book can be found comedy, tragedy, fantasy, and surrealism. Here are brief descriptions of some of my favorites.

"Misreadings," by Neena Beber: an encounter between a college literature teacher and a rebellious student. "Off the Rack," by Robert D. Kemnitz and Jennifer McMaster: a dialogue between a woman and a professional closet organizer. "Guys," by Robert Badlam: a comic dialogue between a girl-hungry guy and his pal at a fast-food restaurant. "Precipice," by William Mastrosimone: the suspenseful story of two climbers in trouble on Mount Rainier. "Tape," by Jose Rivera: a "Twilight Zone"-ish dialogue between a seemingly imprisoned individual and an attendant; early on this play contains the ominous line, "We don't want to cause you an undue suffering."

But my favorite in the whole collection is "Trying to Find Chinatown," by David Henry Hwang. A hilarious and thought-provoking satire on Asian-American identity, it contains some terrific dialogue.

The only thing that disappointed me about this collection was the lack of any author bios. I would have liked to have had some information on these playwrights and on any other pieces they may have written. Still, this is a fine collection which I would enthusiastically recommend both for classroom use and personal reading.

Rating:
Summary: Short is beautiful!
Review: "30 Ten-Minute Plays for 2 Actors, from Actors Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest," edited by Michael Bigelow Dixon, Amy Wegener, and Karen C. Petruska, is an outstanding anthology dedicated to a very specific theatrical genre. It is part of a set of three volumes of 10-minute plays. One of the other volumes contains plays for 3 actors, and the other has pieces for 4, 5, or 6 actors.

The introduction to this book notes, "Over the past two decades, the ten-minute play has established itself as a potent and durable form in American theater." The editors further compare this genre to other short literary forms such as the editorial. They also note that the plays in this volume are all by American playwrights.

The thirty plays are a very diverse group. In this book can be found comedy, tragedy, fantasy, and surrealism. Here are brief descriptions of some of my favorites.

"Misreadings," by Neena Beber: an encounter between a college literature teacher and a rebellious student. "Off the Rack," by Robert D. Kemnitz and Jennifer McMaster: a dialogue between a woman and a professional closet organizer. "Guys," by Robert Badlam: a comic dialogue between a girl-hungry guy and his pal at a fast-food restaurant. "Precipice," by William Mastrosimone: the suspenseful story of two climbers in trouble on Mount Rainier. "Tape," by Jose Rivera: a "Twilight Zone"-ish dialogue between a seemingly imprisoned individual and an attendant; early on this play contains the ominous line, "We don't want to cause you an undue suffering."

But my favorite in the whole collection is "Trying to Find Chinatown," by David Henry Hwang. A hilarious and thought-provoking satire on Asian-American identity, it contains some terrific dialogue.

The only thing that disappointed me about this collection was the lack of any author bios. I would have liked to have had some information on these playwrights and on any other pieces they may have written. Still, this is a fine collection which I would enthusiastically recommend both for classroom use and personal reading.

Rating:
Summary: A wide range of plays
Review: Three fine books in the Smith & Kraus '30 10-Minutes Plays' series by Michael Dixon, et.al. present winners from the Actors Theatre of Louisville's national 'ten-minute play' contest, provide aspiring students and dramatists with a wide range of plays. These three volumes are divided into plays for 3 Actors (1-57525-278-3), 2 Actors (277-5) and 4, 5 & 6 Actors (279-1). Characters, settings, and details on obtaining performance rights accompany each sketch.

Rating:
Summary: A wide range of plays
Review: Three fine books in the Smith & Kraus '30 10-Minutes Plays' series by Michael Dixon, et.al. present winners from the Actors Theatre of Louisville's national 'ten-minute play' contest, provide aspiring students and dramatists with a wide range of plays. These three volumes are divided into plays for 3 Actors (1-57525-278-3), 2 Actors (277-5) and 4, 5 & 6 Actors (279-1). Characters, settings, and details on obtaining performance rights accompany each sketch.