"Then the theatre went dark!"

This Friday and Saturday, KVTA marks its return to theatre by kicking off the 2021-2022 season by presenting an all new 10 Minute Play Festival!

Debbie Emling, Co-Chairperson for the committee, “I am excited to see the return of KVTA’S 10 Minute Play Festival. I have been blessed to be involved in every one of our festivals. We were thrilled to receive 38 wonderful entries from all over the world this year which proved to be a new record for us.”

One difference from past festivals is that KVTA added a new category for submissions. Debbie continues, “We also added a youth playwright division this time and we were happy to see the creativity of our talented young playwrights. There was no fee for submissions and plays had to be no more than 10 minutes long, have 2-4 characters, modern setting/time, and include the phrase, ‘Then the theatre went dark’.”

“Our esteemed judges chose the 1st-3rd place adult entry winners and the 1st-2nd place youth entry winners. All winners will receive a monetary prize. These 5 plays will be produced by some amazing directors and actors with minimal set pieces (one table, two chairs, and four wood blocks only could be used) and props.”

One of the plays featured in this year’s festival was written by David W. Lipschutz, a Chicago-based artist and company member of Handbag Productions, where he co-wrote The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Vol. 3. David adds, “I have also written works performed throughout the country and have my first play being performed internationally later this year - G'Oy Vey! with Act Your Age Showcase in Manchester, England. Outside of theatre, I am an attorney and have spent many days at the Kankakee County Courthouse.” When asked about the inspiration behind his submission, David commented, “Without giving too much away, my inspiration for Modus Operandi comes from wanting to poke fun at my day job as well as at my quirky family!”

What should the audience expect from the festival performance? Debbie says, “This is a fun night for anyone to experience! In addition to seeing 5 staged plays and hearing which place each received, the audience will enjoy five plays read in a reader’s theatre style which they will get to cast a vote for their favorite to receive the Audience Choice Award. This award will be announced at the end of the evening. These plays also have talented actors and directors involved. With joy, The KVTA 10 Minute Play Festival Committee is pleased to announce that every ticket holder will be thoroughly entertained with 10 plays for $10! We are so happy the theatre is no longer dark and we can share the creativity of playwrights, directors, and actors once again in KVTA’s own Black Box Theatre!”

Please join us this Friday and Saturday, August 13 & 14, at 7:00pm in the KVTA Black Box theatre located in the KVTA Studios at 1 Stuart Drive, Kankakee. Tickets are only $10 each (cash or check payments only). They are currently on-sale at Joy's Hallmark and King Music. Tickets will also be sold at the door.