The 13th Annual HSU 10 Minute Play Festival playwrights: (l to.r., front:) Katie Dawson, Sarah Harter, Sarah McKinney, Jessica Charles.  Back: Alan La Police, Tess Wilder-Cervantes and Lani Abels.  

This year as always, students submitted scripts to a faculty panel. Out of about 50 scripts, seven were selected. Students also direct and act in all the plays.

Also as in past years, many writers also direct (though never their own plays.) Jessica Charles and Sarah McKinney, who acted together in An Evening with Rumi last semester, are unique in directing each other’s plays.

But the plays are all new—and so are most of the participants this year. That’s in marked contrast to last year, when many directors and writers had been involved in several past festivals.

“Most of the directors have never done the festival,” said student producer Christina Focht. “Usually there are several directors who know the process because they’ve been involved before, but this year I have to make sure everyone’s going through all the steps of production. It’s my job to make sure everybody—writers, designers and directors—are communicating and everyone’s on task.”