Students Shine At 21st Annual 10 Minute Play Festival

The University of Montana Western kicked off their Bank of Commerce Performing Arts series for the 2023-2024 season Monday night, October 16. Their first selection was the 21st Annual 10 Minute Play Festival, a community favorite to showcase the talents of the Honors and Theater students of UMW. Like in past performances, the audience was treated to an eclectic mix of short plays, varying from thought provoking pre-recorded screenplays to hilarious live action sketches.

The entire production lasted roughly an hour and was well worth it. With seven original stories, the students demonstrated their skills from beginning to end. The writing, the producing, and the acting really illuminated the depth and calculated ease of what it means to create something original.

From the quirky first play, Magecraft Stagecraft, to the altruistic production in Bad Script, the layers of the film industry were laid bare to the audience. Hot topic issues like the Writers Strike, Artificial Intelligence in the media, and the parallels between our world and those fictitious worlds playing out in movies and television left you with a perplexion you may not have anticipated from the minds of tomorrow. However, their fresh takes on these subject matters took you on a journey and provided a sense of hope in an otherwise daunting arena.

The extravagance, and many times ridiculous, nature of the media was at the forefront of all the selections. Yet the behind the scenes tales featured in Stagecraft and The Hero’s Journey had the audience both laughing and engaged at the preposterousness we have found our society in.

The night ended with Monster Mash, a fun and lighthearted piece, that was both visually fun and a riot from start to finish. Though each play was short and sweet, the seven entries told a compelling story from start to finish. The bright, young minds of tomorrow showed they are up for the challenge of creating strong, dynamic works of art, and we, as a community, are excited to see where the future takes them.

Be sure to check out the other showings of the 10 Minute Play Festival Tuesday, October 17th at 1:00 and 7:30pm and on Wednesday, 18th, at 1:00pm. You won’t be sorry you did!

Get your tickets here.