News

Luxembourg’s First Ever 10 Minute Play Festival:
Wrap-Up, Responses, the Success! On to 2011!
Now that the 10 Minute Play Festival is in the rear view mirror, here are some thoughts from the excellent team that came together for this NWTC event.
10 Minute Play Festival Retrospective
«The important thing is...we got it out there, brought the idea to life and showcased our local talent. We—writers, directors, actors, the technical team and our amazing producer—offered a first for this community. We learned a LOT. We asked for feedback from everyone involved and I am certain the next festival will be even BETTER. Not all of our critics got the idea as a whole—seemed to think it was a gimmick, theatre for our short-attention-span culture. Others loved some plays, groaned at others. Whatever drew you to one style- dramatic, comedic or surreal-the idea was to offer diversity. But there was SO much more to this festival. For that, I'd invite you to hear from some of the participants themselves. My heart-felt thanks to them and to the NWTC for this incredible opportunity.»
-Deborah Anderson
NWTC Newsletter Page 5 Jan 2010
Directors:
«Having the playwright come to a rehearsal was great. The depth of understanding of the characters was a great resource.»
“If people want to direct, it’s an excellent format for giving them a chance to cut their teeth…. in the end the best way to learn it is to simply do it.”
“Yes, I’d definitely participate again – but maybe as an actor rather than a director next time! Being part of a group like this limited the number of things I had to think about as director (where to perform, when, budget, publicity, set, scene changes etc.). It took a lot of time and effort to direct just ten minutes, so I think I’m warier now than I was before about the possibility of directing a full-length play.”
«I liked sharing actors. I felt the actors each got something different from each director, and the scheduling was not as bad as I expected.»
“Hats off to our techies. They were simply fantastic. Our production man, Steve, was another hero. This is a very, very big job and should not be underestimated. It?s a wonderful club recruitment tool. Would I participate again? You betcha!”
NWTC Newsletter Page 6 Jan 2010
Actors:
“I think we have touched on something very special in English speaking theatre. The marriage of the local writers with directors and actors made for a fun, organic experience. There were things that could have been tightened up, but I think that comes with more workshops.”
“Great fun, great people, a new and fun challenge and experience. So definitely yes <to participating again>, maybe even as a writer and/or director.”
“I think in a 10 minute play festival there should be some scope for timing overruns but it should also be the director’s responsibility to get the run time to somewhere around that time.”
“We all got on very well! Whether it was our first time on stage or were seasoned actors, it didn?t matter…after a certain point; we weren?t allowed to use our scripts. „If you get yourself into trouble, you get yourself out of trouble!? This really helped me a lot.”
NWTC Newsletter Page 7 Jan 2010
Stage manager/technical crew:
“I think offering someone interested in directing the chance to direct a smaller piece like these is a great way to help them gain experience. It was a wonderful experience and I thank you for the opportunity. I had a lot of fun and I would definitely participate again – though preferably as a director and/or playwright.”
“It was fantastic to be able to work with “new faces” and I would like to see this event continue to encourage new talent. Not just directors but also writers, actors, techies, well everyone.”
“The spirit of the event is in itself a mentoring experience. I came away from it knowing far more than I started and full of a desire to pass on the lessons learned.”
Writers:
“It showed me that everybody interprets things differently. It was pure process, and while we were talking the actors evolved. It was great to see, and great to see also the work the director had done with my lines on paper, breathing life into them…. The hardest part was to give the lines away to the actors (as in „here they are; make them yours now?) but it was the most beautiful part too.”
«I learned that I have to write every line like it is poetry and that every word counts to create the mood, express the emotion and to move the story along.»

Last changed: Mar 13 2010 at 4:39 PM