THE FOURTH ANNUAL TEN-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL
PLAY SYNOPSES & CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
June 5th, 6th and 7th in the CCA auditorium.
The Book Club – by Marcy Rose
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SYNOPSIS:
Louisa May Alcott appears at a book club meeting.
CHARACTERS:
DORY: Female, middle-aged, the book club host.
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MICHELLE: Female, Dory’s long-time friend Fran: Female, younger than Dory or Michelle.
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LOUISA MAY ALCOTT: Female, about 55 years old, referred to as LMA in the script, solely for the convenience of the playwright.
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RUTH: Female, slightly older than the others and a bit judgmental.
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BOZO: A clown, any gender​.
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I, Phone – by Tom Moran
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SYNOPSIS:
Melanie is just trying to go out on a date. But her cellphone has other ideas.
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CHARACTERS:
MELANIE: Female, age 20’s-30’s.
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MELANIE'S PHONE: Artificial male voice.
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ANDREW: Male, age 20’s-30’s.
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ANDREW'S PHONE: Artificial female voice.
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37 Origami Bees
by Philip Middleton Williams
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SYNOPSIS:
Fred has reached his retirement as a high school teacher. His co-worker Johnny asks him what he is going to do with all that free time. Well, Johnny, the answer may surprise you.
CHARACTERS:
FRED: Male, a veteran schoolteacher, retirement age
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JOHNNY: Male, a schoolteacher, younger than Fred
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Brief Exchange – by Matthew Heftler
SYNOPSIS:
It's traumatic story about three pair of men’s underwear, Calvin, Hanes, Joe (the boxer). When a series of heartbreaking events occur in the underwear drawer, their lives are changed forever!
CHARACTERS:
CALVIN: Male
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HANES: Male
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JOE : Male. A boxer.
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Time Table – by Jeff Perlman
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SYNOPSIS:
A young couple is surprised when they go to dinner and are seated with older versions of themselves.
CHARACTERS:
MARCEL: Male, the maitre d', ageless, theatrical, with supernatural timing and comedic sensibilities. A guardian angel figure who facilitates the encounter.
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SOPHIE: Female, 24, optimistic dancer with big dreams
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DAVID: Male, 26, earnest tech entrepreneur developing an app, full of plans to change the world
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OLDER SOPHIE: Female, Sophie 30 years later, weathered but warm
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OLDER DAVID: Male, David 30 years later, tired but kind, having learned life's small truths
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Crowbar – by Sara Freedman​
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SYNOPSIS:
Riley is annoyed when neighbor Bill is invited for Thanksgiving. But then she makes a discovery.
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CHARACTERS:
RILEY: Female, 19 years old. A college student, home for Thanksgiving.
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BILL: Male, 70s-80s. He lives down the street.
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JO: Female, 50s. Riley’s mother.
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The Vampires of Brooklyn – by Deb Nagan-Lee
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SYNOPSIS:
During a writer's group session, a play about vampires causes some controversy about what a "real" vampire is, and this leads to unexpected places that only a writer can take you to.
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CHARACTERS:
SUSAN: Female, leader of writers group
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MELANIE: Female, writer in the group
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JACKIE: Male, toxic middle-age or older male, member of writer’s group
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BECCA: Female, young adult member of writers group. Huge fan of Twilight series
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CHRIS: Male, Becca’s super supportive boyfriend. Only in group because Becca is there.
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DUNCAN: Youngish male vampire in Melanie’s story
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MARCUS: Young-ish male vampire in Melanie’s story
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The Ultimate Rebrand – by Kevin Flaherty
SYNOPSIS:
A public relations executive rebrands the Grim Reaper.
CHARACTERS:​
DEATH: Any gender. Dressed in a bespoke, charcoal-grey, hooded cloak.
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CHLOE: Any gender. A high-octane PR executive. She speaks in buzzwords and drinks green juice like it’s an IV drip.
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MARCUS: Any gender. Chloe’s assistant. Nervous, detail-oriented, and currently holding a sage bundle to "clear the energy."
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TIFFANY: Any gender. An Influencer
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JULIAN VANE: Any gender. Podcast host, really chill.
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Ups and Downs – by Cam Eickmeyer
SYNOPSIS:
Cheating spouse breaks the news to their partner on a roller coaster. Smile for the camera!
CHARACTERS:
SPOUSE 1: Any gender or age. The more awkward of the two. Looking for a buffer between their feelings and the hard conversation to come.
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SPOUSE 2 Any gender or age. Blissfully unaware of the bad news to come ... Or are they?
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RIDE ANNOUNCER: Any gender. Voice only, (can be recorded)
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Bargain Barn – by James Kelsey Nelson
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SYNOPSIS:
When two characters exhaust the brief dialogue of the play (which contains them), they attempt to make more of their existence.
CHARACTERS:
DANA: An actor, any gender.
CLERK: An actor, any gender.
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Harken To Me – by Alexander Wilkie
SYNOPSIS:
As a Shakespearean actor prepares for a blind date in a diner, he informs his best friend that, due to a freak stage accident, he can speak only in Shakespearean English. At first, his date is put off by his stylized language, but is later charmed by his poetry and genuine honesty.
CHARACTERS:
TOM: Male, 20-40s, Jared’s best friend
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JARED: Male, 20s-40s, Tom’s best friend
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VICTORIA: Female, 20s-40s, Jared’s girlfriend
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SOPHIE: Female, 20s-40s, Vicky’s friend, (Tom’s arranged date)
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SERVER: Any gender & any age. A waiter.
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