Seoul's 10-Minute Play Festival pits 16 productions against each other
Lorne Oliver, left, acts opposite Holly Czuchna for "Making the Cut" at the 10-Minute Play Festival. Courtesy of Louis Groves
This year’s 10-Minute Play Festival is looking to differentiate itself from its 11 predecessors.
The theatrical event, a mainstay of the English language theater scene in Seoul, returns this month, although with some departures from previous years.
This year, the festival received a record number of scripts from around the world when it began its open call. “We had a high of 395 plays submitted in 2019. This year we had over 500 plays in the first two weeks,” Lorne Oliver, who is both producing and acting in the festival, told The Korea Times. “We had to shut down submissions given that intense volume.”
Of course, such interest in the festival is welcomed, but it also creates much more work for those involved in bringing the plays to life. Brian Petersen, the artistic director, detailed the process of script selection, which involves each piece being read by three different people. Only the top 40 plays are carried forward to the reading weekend, where actors are invited to read each script aloud, so that 16 can be selected for performance.
These 16 scripts are split up into two programs, which are performed separately. The most popular plays by audience vote go on to the final, where a winner is crowned.
“We don’t always agree on every script,” Petersen added, “but we try to make sure the festival is as balanced, genre-wise, as possible.”
“There’s always a mix of comedies and dramas, and sometimes there are horror or sci-fi pieces,” said Greta C. Wink, who hosts the festival. “The play selection committee is careful to select plays that are fresh and original, so the attendees who come every year have a novel experience each time.”
Another difference this year is that the venue has been refurbished. Dulwich College, where the festival is produced, has remodeled its auditorium.
Louis Groves, another producer-actor, calls the new space “modern and beautiful,” describing the acoustics as “fantastic.”
Brian Keane, an actor who has performed in the last three festivals, also said he was excited to see how the venue looks now.
Keane extolled the number of roles available, even for less confident performers, and said he returns to the festival every year because of the fun atmosphere, adding the creative process is “not too high-pressure.”
George Merusi, a newcomer to the festival this year, similarly said his preparation “wasn’t too intensive,” though he did offer sympathy for his play’s costume designer who was tasked with turning him “into the personification of an execution device.” Merusi said he hasn’t acted in a scripted production in over two years and hopes the 10-Minute Play Festival will inspire others to take in the vast range of theatrical talent on offer in Seoul.
"Bovine Existential" stars Sabrine Ahmed Iqbal, left, and Torin Horvik. Courtesy of Yeobin Park
However, it isn’t only local creativity that will be showcased. Another new element for this year’s production, highlighted by Groves, is that a team from Gwangju will be coming up to Seoul to perform. “We’re thrilled to have a voice from outside our usual ecosystem,” Groves said.
Wherever the creatives are from, there are recurring descriptions of the sense of community it fosters, as well as the opportunity to contribute creatively. “Friendships and relationships are formed during this festival,” Petersen said. “We have even had former performers go on to become professional actors.”
Janete da Rocha, a returning director for the festival, said doing the festival last year taught her a lot. “Being in a welcoming and inclusive environment … can really help one flourish in creative fields, and yet there are so few places for it.”
“As a foreigner, I think it’s valuable to have a social and artistic outlet,” Merusi added.
Looking back on his first audition, Keane said, “I needed experience; now, I’m much more confident.”
The festival provides opportunities to many people, even those who would never consider acting. Oliver provided an anecdote about how one player came to be involved in the show: “[During auditions] someone walked in on our lunch break, thinking there was a different event going on in the space,” he explained. “This person had no idea auditions were going on, and actually stayed to audition. They were cast in the show.”
A poster for the 10-Minute Play Festival / Courtesy of Seoul Players
Seoul Players' 10-Minute Play Festival will be performed at Dulwich College near Sinbanpo Station.
There are two programs each showing different plays. Program A will be performed Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m., and Program B will be performed Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. The plays selected from both programs will be performed on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are 25,000 won at the door or 20,000 in advance, and package discounts are available. Visit seoulplayers.org for more information or to buy tickets.
Rory Kelly is a writer, actor, improviser and stand-up comedian based in Seoul. He's also often spotted not quite winning pub quizzes in the Itaewon area.