Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega national theatre honor society will present its 15^th annual All Night Theatre: Ten-Minute Play Festival on Saturday, March 11, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Verser Theatre. The festival is entirely run by students. The plays are student-written, directed and performed. The event is free and open to the public.

This festival is unique among theatrical productions at Ouachita. While most productions take months of planning, preparation and rehearsals, this festival features a condensed production schedule. Auditions for student actors will be held on Wednesday, March 8, from 6-8 p.m. in Verser Theatre and Thursday, March 9, from 3:30-5 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. Student directors receive their scripts on Friday, March 10, giving them roughly 30 minutes to look over the script and familiarize themselves with the play before they meet their cast. Rehearsal begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and the performances take place the next day, just 24 hours later.

“The festival is a chance for students to be involved at all levels in a theatre production that doesn’t involve a big time investment like our larger productions,” explained Eric Philips, chair of OBU’s Department of Theatre Arts. “Students can run through the process in a couple of days and have a finished product in front of an audience.”

Shelby Spears, a senior English and Spanish double major from El Dorado, Ark., said the festival is “a fun way for more people to get involved in theatre and express themselves creatively.” He also noted that it allows students to explore more out-of-the-box ideas and concepts that they wouldn’t get the opportunity to explore with the larger theatre productions.

Spears is a member of the festival’s leadership team, known as the triumvirate, along with Nadalie Gill and Michaela Finley. Gill is a junior theatre arts and mass communications double major from Price, Texas, and Finley is a musical theatre major from Cedarville, Ark.

While Alpha Psi Omega members play a large role in the festival by writing, directing, performing or working backstage, the same roles are open to all Ouachita students who would like to participate.

“The festival is a cool opportunity for students who aren't theatre majors but would like to perform or would like to just give it a try and have fun doing it,” Finley noted.

A panel consisting of faculty, the triumvirate and Alpha Psi Omega’s sponsor will choose the plays that will be performed. The panel judges the submissions and those receiving the highest scores will be performed. Each play is limited to 10 minutes or less. Writers whose plays are accepted may also direct or perform in the festival, but they are not allowed to direct or act in their own play.

There will be a question-and-answer session following the performances to allow for discussion among the playwrights, directors and audience.

For more information, contact the OBU Box Office at [email protected] or (870) 245-5555.

 

By Haley Wilkerson

February 24, 2017