Two festivals in the Kawarthas region are spreading the love of stories and theatre by staging a series of 10-minute plays on two consecutive days in August.
“It’s becoming a very popular genre and (for some theatre companies), the 10-minute plays are more popular than the rest of the season from what I’ve heard,” says playwright D’Arcy Jenish. “We’re a little bit behind in Peterborough because they’re (already being) done in a number of different places in Canada.”
That’s why Jenish is producing the first 10-Minute Sunday festival at the Peterborough Theatre Guild on Sunday, August 10. For $10, ticket holders will experience everything from heartfelt dramas to witty comedy during the staging of 10 plays, each 10 minutes long, written by established and emerging playwrights. There will be two shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Jenish got the inspiration to bring the series to Peterborough after being involved with the 10-Minute Play Series held at the Port Hope Arts Festival over the past three summers. Hosted by the Municipality of Port Hope and returning on Saturday, August 9 this year, the free festival has been holding the play series since 2021.
Now in its 22nd season, the Port Hope Arts Festival’s 10-Minute Play Series will see 12 unique 10-minute plays staged across six outdoor locations in downtown Port Hope, from parking lots to courtyards.
“It’s a really cool way to both engage actors and playwrights and to celebrate what live theatre is and what it can bring to an audience,” says Jeannie Maidens, the Municipality of Port Hope’s supervisor of events and community engagement.
“It really is offering surprise and delight for folks who may not consider themselves theatre-goers — but then they witness live theatre through the 10-minute plays,” she says. “It really moves them or they find it really funny or they’re inspired by what they’ve seen, and they’re slowly encouraged to explore other forms of live performance.”
While the series features work from professional local and Canadian playwrights like Marcia Johnson and Dave Carley, who first introduced the 10-minute series to the Port Hope Arts Festival, it is also supports emerging talents. One play, titled Cher-lock and the Roommate Ruse, was written by Port Hope High School student Abigail Byers in collaboration with the school’s drama club.
While it’s possible to see all dozen of the plays being staged throughout the day, the Port Hope Arts Festival is, according to Maidens, a “choose-your-own-adventure program” with a lot of opportunity to engage with various artforms throughout the day.
The town will be transformed into a community art gallery with pieces by local artists decorating many of the businesses, S.O.N.G. bringing live music to the Memorial Park Bandshell, and the Capitol Theatre hosting an intimate concert and sharing behind-the-scenes of the new musical Rez Gas written by musician Cale Crow of Alderville First Nation and Genevieve Adam. The day will also include an artisan market of over 50 vendors, wagon rides, food vendors, and a range of other free family-friendly events and surprises.
“Our festival is one way that we’re able to celebrate and showcase Port Hope’s creative community and brings folks together for a shared experience,” says Maidens. “It also offer the chance to learn new things, drives home the importance of personal expression, and gives the opportunity to engage with the self and art forms and one another.”
For a full list of events during Port Hope Arts Festival, including a description of the plays in the 10-Minute Play Series, visit www.porthope.ca/arts-festival.
Jenish, who wrote the full-length historical play The Tilco Strike staged at 4th Line Theatre in 2023, has had a couple of 10-minute plays staged during the Port Hope Arts Festival in the past. This year, his play Let’s Play Pickleball, directed by Bea Quarrie, is about a retired couple divided on wanting to play pickleball. As well as being staged during the Port Hope Arts Festival, it will be featured during 10-Minute Sunday at the Peterborough Theatre Guild.
“It’s been great for me to try something different,” says Jenish, who is also a journalist and author. “In a 10-minute format you’re compelled to be concise, you have to establish immediately what the story is, what the issue is, and it has to be a complete story with an ending as well.”
The plays staged during 10-Minute Sunday at the Peterborough Theatre Guild will include some of those performed at the Port Hope Arts Festival and others unique to the Peterborough stage.
In addition to Jenish’s pickleball play, they include a romantic tribute to Anthony Bourdain, commuters inadvertently driving into a Beckett play, a playwright getting a dressing down from a historian, sisters making a shocking discovery when they sort through their late mother’s belongings, a couple who ended their relationship decades before getting paired up by a blind date algorithm, a trivia host who gets an unfortunate phone call, a woman whose husband is running for mayor again, a single man attempting to meet his true love in person, and two frenemies facing off in a mock western comedy.
“We have a wonderful group of professional actors and seasoned amateurs with tons of theatre experience,” Jenish says. “The audiences for the show will be blown away by the quality of the talent on stage.”
Jenish adds that the format is a great vehicle for people who are new to theatre or are interested in getting more involved. Similar to staged readings, the actors “get on stage and it’s pure performance,” without sets, props, and sounds to rely on.
“What I’d really like to do is cultivate some local talent and get some local young people that have aspirations to write to these plays,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity for writers, actors, and directors who want to get their feet wet in theatre.”
With tickets priced at $10 ($1 per play), Jenish adds, audiences can’t go wrong.
“That’s the cheapest ticket in town. You’re not going to find anything less expensive than that, so it’s going to be a good value for the money.”
For tickets, visit www.peterboroughtheatreguild.com or call the box office at 705-745-4211 (leave a message if the box office is closed).
