Meet the next generation of playwrights, April 10-11, at The Rex
MANCHESTER, NH – If you missed last year’s inaugural Short Play Festival at The Rex Theatre, then you have an extra good reason to attend this year’s encore.
It’s an entertainment experience unlike others – six original plays, all in one sitting, ranging from comedy to drama, each one lasting 10 to 15 minutes.
The Short Play Festival is brought to you by Rex Theatre Director Warren O’Reilly and patron of the arts, Will Kanteres. Read on for everything you need to know about the 2nd Annual Short Play Festival.
Click here to reserve your seat.
- What inspired you to mount a Short Play festival in Manchester?
When I mentioned to Warren that a playwright that I knew was excited about staging his short plays at festivals in New York and Massachusetts, he instantly offered to make a festival happen right here in NH. The Palace Theatre is always looking for ways to be at the forefront of entertainment options in NH and have had decades of experience staging large productions so when Warren O’Reilly and I brought this concept to the Palace president, Peter Ramsay, he immediately offered to bring it to the stage of the Rex Theatre.
We’re seeing a lot of young professionals, moving into Manchester from Austin, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston and major metropolis’s. A lot of them come with a love of theater.
- Why a “short” play festival?
We wanted to attract up-and-coming writers and thought that the short play format would encourage those writers to hone their craft. The 10-15 minute time limit also allows us to stage the work of six writers each year instead of just one.
The time limit give us an opportunity to explore a wide range of topics, diverse ideas, and introduce more voices in a single evening of theatre.
A considerable number of today’s playwrights and short play writers are tomorrow’s TV writers, screenwriters and showrunners for Netflix, HBOMAX, and Network Televsion. Last year three of the six playwrights were working in TV and film already. One of the playwrights had a show on ABC television the same night of the festival. So, it’s a great opportunity to see the writers of tomorrow.
- Are you a theatre geek? (if so, a bit of background on why you are interested in theatrics).
Warren has been involved in all facets of theater most of his life and current job at the Palace involves producing about five shows a week at The Rex. I have been involved in concert and event productions for many years in my life so we both love the idea of bringing someone’s creative work to the public.
Warren: Growing up in Ireland, there was a lot of access to theatre, then moving to Boston the Fung Wah Bus got me to NYC every weekend for $10 so I say even more theatre on Broadway. So accessible and affordable theatre is a passion of mine. This festival offers $10 student tickets, and a full price ticket is $25. That’s a great deal for six plays. The Palace Theatre has always put fostering the next generation of theatre lover and education of the arts as a cornerstone of their mission statement, that is why it’s such an honor to be a part of the organization.
- What was your takeaway from last year’s inaugural festival?
The near standing-room only attendance proved that people underestimate the appreciation of the arts by NH folks. Our judges did an amazing job deciding which play would receive the Astro Award for Best Play and we think our decision to allow the audience to have a vote for the Astro Award for Audience Choice gave everyone a sense of ownership.
Warren: The staggering quality of the submissions coupled with the unbelievable packed houses for both nights was a great reminder that there’s a thirst and desire for theater, and new theater. The major takeaway is, if you build it, they will come.
- You had a great response for this year’s festival – how did that feel – and what is the behind-the-scenes process in deciding which plays made it to the festival stage?
We loved seeing so many people enjoy an affordable night out at the theater. We know that the theater community loved this concept as we went from 30 submissions last year to close to 100 play submissions this year. We have relied on a small review committee for play selection and they put in many hours of reading scripts and discussing the merits of each submission.
- Who are the actors involved? Are they all local or do playwrights bring their own casts?
Some of the playwrights have particular actors that they choose to work with but Warren has been very good at connecting writers with NH’s talent pool. We have had great young actors from the Derryfield School’s drama department take the stage when needed.
- Can you share some of the feedback you got from last year’s festival?
Everyone who attended last year begged us on their way out of the theater to do the festival annually. Warren got great feedback from the writers and actors about the resources provided by the Palace.
The playwrights, many of whom participate in a lot of Short Play Festivals, told us they really appreciated that we only chose six plays. This gave us a chance to discuss the tone of each piece. The director’s also noticed this meant we had more time to focus on lighting, sound, setting a tone, executing the best theatrical experience.
The Palace Theater’s advantage is our year-round production schedule — the Broadway in NH series and multiple in-house produced shows, this means the whole operation runs at a professional level. That foundation really elevates the festival.
- Why is celebrating the arts so important to you?
Did I mention that I am Greek and Warren is Irish?! From ancient plays to modern literature, we both feel that the arts should be an essential part of day to day life in a caring, thinking civilization.
And is Manchester is going through a fantastic cultural revolution of its own with new venues, breweries, festivals, restaurants, and nightlife exploding downtown it’s a city deserving of a short play festival to complement the already thriving art scene.
The people are coming, the demographics speak for themselves. It’s just a matter of giving the people what they want.
Will Kanteres, co-producer, and Warren O’Reilly, Festival Coordinator and Stage Manager.