By Linda Bailey, Student Reporter
The Department of Theatre will produce a 10-minute play festival this weekend that will involve most of the students in the department.
For the Shorts! festival, students will direct and perform 11 10-minute plays shown back-to-back at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and April 23-25 in Culp Theatre.
The department most recently put on this short play format in spring 2005. Brittany Murphy, junior theatre major from Mesquite, said the format of the show should keep the audience entertained.
“It’s different than just a show that we are doing because there are 11 of them, so if you don’t particularly enjoy one of them, there is another coming in a few minutes,” Murphy said.
The show also will give students in the advanced directing class the opportunity to direct and act in the plays, said Sam Wolfe, senior theatre major from Abilene. Wolfe is directing the dramatic comedy Game Theory by Peter Segal.
“It gives our advanced directing class an opportunity to direct because each play is student-directed,” Wolfe said. “Whereas normally a student would only get to direct a show maybe once every other year, this allows several students to have directing opportunities.”
Murphy said Shorts! also allows incorporation of the entire theatre department.
“It’s a way of bringing our department together and a way to be able to show the work that we have done.”
Eric Hampton, junior theatre major from Tacoma, Wash., will direct What I Came For by Alice O’Neill. He also has a role in Foul Territory by Craig Wright. He said a major difference between Shorts! and other productions at ACU is the abundance of casting opportunities that Shorts! provides.
“In a large-cast production such as Shorts!, a lot of people are able to be involved. It’s a more group-oriented process,” Hampton said. “It’s more similar to the Homecoming musicals where almost the entire department is involved. It’s very much a group mentality.”
Hampton said Shorts! will provide something everyone will enjoy.
“I think there is so much diversity in the different plays,” Hampton said. “There is a lot of very funny comedy and there is a lot of good drama as well.”
