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Highlights from Lakeshore Players Theatre's "10-Minute Play Festival"

The best thing about a one-act festival is that, in one sitting, you can experience a whole variety of ideas and perspectives. Short plays are a great way to focus in on one moment, one conflict or decision, and zero in on the emotional impact that it creates. At Lakeshore Players Theatre’s 18th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival, subjects ranged from familial relationships to societal dangers to futuristic electronic scams. The festival included ten short plays, each with a different director and cast of 2-4 actors. Audience members were invited to cast their votes for their favorite play, and the winner will be named “Best 10-Minute Play of 2022.”

The most successful one-act plays for me are the ones with an interesting point of view and a strong focus throughout; they don’t need much exposition, or they have created a situation in which the exposition is realistic and unobtrusive. Some of the plays in this festival were a little unsubtle in getting their point across, but I thought there were plenty of interesting concepts throughout, and the performances were strong across the board.

Some of the plays that stood out to me as particularly successful were:

Play House, written by Sage Martin, directed by James Zappa, and performed by Josh Krauskopf and Nancy Lipinski. This play dropped into a very specific situation that was gradually revealed; the lack of exposition meant that the unsettling tone took forefront. Krauskopf and Lipinksi’s intense performances pushed the tension higher and higher as the play went on.

Checkout Line, written by James McLindon, directed by Brian Sherman, and performed by Anneliese Garner and Jeffrey Nolan. I enjoyed this play for its strong characters, played with charm by Garner and Nolan. The interplay of awkwardness, confidence, and connection made this play especially engaging.

Missed Disconnections, written by Samara Siskind, directed by Daniel Stock, and performed by Jesse Villarreal, Laura Trudell, and Alicia Ehleringer. The most playful of the festival, this one was also the only one-act to play at all with the form (using a kind of voiceover), which I’d love to see more of in future festivals. There was a moment in there that felt a bit cliched for me, but the ending brought me back around and overall it was just fun!

The 18th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival at Lakeshore Players Theatre runs through June 12.

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