Take Ten! live plays

When was the last time live theatre was written and performed by English students? It may have been in the ’70s; however, this past fall ENGL 3817 Creative Writing focused on writing 10 minute plays. Students not only wrote their own plays but also acted in them. Along with workshops with theatre professionals, students benefited from using the Media Lab room, which enabled a collegial writing environment. For the final assignment, groups of two or three students collaboratively wrote a 10 m. play; the plays were then performed on Dec. 3 at the Bora Laskin Auditorium. The event, Take Ten: Plays in Process, was well-attended and organized thanks to the assistance of the English Students Association. For the new playwrights, the process of both writing and acting in their own plays was transformative, fostering a sense of professionalism, accomplishment and elation.