17th Annual Festival of New Plays at Mendocino College Seeks New 10-Minute Scripts

Local writers take note: there has never been a better opportunity to try your hand at playwrighting. Mendocino College is currently seeking short plays by local authors for production on campus in fall 2023.

One of the most exciting events of the college’s theatre season is the annual Festival of New Plays. Once again, theatre professor Reid Edelman will use short plays written by local authors to teach directing and acting students about the joys and challenges of working with new scripts.

This production of student-written scripts is now in its seventeenth year, and the event has become a highlight of the college’s annual theatre season. Since the festival began, Edelman has worked with Communications Department professor and playwright Jody Gehrman to find and develop student-written plays. Anybody residing in Lake, Sonoma or Mendocino Counties is eligible to submit an original play.

“We clearly have an abundance of talented writers in this area,” says Gehrman, “but only a small percentage of them even think about writing a play. Playwrights aren’t born, they’re coerced by people like us to try it once. After seeing their work produced, most become addicted; it’s a tremendous high to sit in a theater and watch your ideas come to life.”

The deadline for submissions August 1, 2023. There are no limitations in terms of theme or content, but small casts (2-5 characters) and minimal technical requirements are recommended for optimal chances at production. Scripts should have a running time of no longer than ten minutes. Electronic submissions should be saved as PDF files and sent to redelman@mendocino.edu as an attachment. For more information, contact Reid Edelman, (707) 468-3172. You can also mail your play to 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah, CA 95482. Performances will be November 2-5, 2023. Auditions for actors will be in September.