Communing with the dead, navigating new parenthood, and exploring Y2K teen pop stardom and the Black genius behind it are among the themes of five student-written short plays debuting online October 8–10 for the Cornell University Department of ’ (PMA) 8th annual 10-Minute Play Festival. The festival, hosted by PMA and the Graduate Researchers in Media and Performing Arts (GRMPA), serves as a laboratory for the development of plays written by both undergraduate and graduate students from across the university.
This year’s festival theme is "Fabrication," which aligns with the Society for the Humanities’ theme for the 2020–2021 academic year. The theme has dual meanings, explain festival producers Zhen Cheng, PMA PhD student, and Arin Sheehan ’22. “On the one hand, it is about concealing the truth; at the same time, it is about creating something new. This duality creates a great range of content, covering diverse topics.”
This year’s 10-minute plays are “Jodeci for White Girls” by Kristen Wright, Postdoctoral Associate at the Society for the Humanities, and directed by PMA PhD student Kelly Richmond; “Spirit Call” by Quinn Theobald ’22 and directed by Cole Romero ’22; “Parenting Tips” by Phillip Teixeira Dasilva ’22 and directed by PMA PhD student Andrew Colpitts; “Night Comes for the North Country” by John Colie ’23 and directed by PMA PhD student Caitlin Kane; and “Across the Mississippi” written and directed by Anna Evtushenko, PhD student in information science. Please be advised that “Across the Mississippi” includes a depiction of death. Contact pma@cornell.edu for more information about potentially triggering material.
Performances of the 10-Minute Play Festival will stream on PMA’s YouTube channel October 8 at 7:30 p.m., October 9 at 5:00 p.m., and October 10 at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. Free tickets are required and can be reserved in advance at schwartztickets.com. Audience members who have reserved a free ticket will receive an email with a live link 30 minutes prior to start time.
