Singapore’s most exciting playwriting contest returns! Whether you are a veteran playwright or an aspiring writer, join in and be challenged to squeeze, condense, purify, compress, experiment. To consolidate plot, character, theme into ten minutes of memorable theatre! This contest is organized by Made possible with sponsorship from

A 10-MINUTE PLAY?

No, you are not supposed to write it in 10 minutes! We are talking about very short plays. Bite-sized plays that are about 10 minutes long (not more than 10 pages of A4-size paper).

Why are 10-minute plays so popular?

Jon Jory

Jon Jory, Father of 10-Minute Play genre and former Producing Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville made this interesting observation… “The ten-minute play, like speed chess and the fifty-yard dash, is something of a secret. What you are unlikely to know if you haven’t worked with the genre is that the energy that can be generated is enormous, and that it can lodge like a sliver in the mind of a viewer to remain for a lifetime.

How is this possible when character and plot are squeezed by the vise of the form?

Well, it tends to illuminate moments of profound change and realization. It doesn’t usually lead to the glancing blow but the knockout punch. It has teeth and claws as a satirical delivery system. Its very limitations often lead away from strict realism and its authors seem unabashed in going for the big statement.

It has a cocky, aggressive, rueful tone that charms. It has a win, lose, who cares attitude that tends to leave prudence in the dust. I like it.”

From the foreword to “25 Ten-Minute Plays from Actors Theatre of Louisville”

Ekachai Uekrongtham

Ekachai Uekrongtham, Artistic Director of ACTION Theatre calls the 10-minute play genre one of the seven wonders of theatre… “If there is a list of seven wonders of theatre, the 10-minute play must be one of them. Until today, I’m still amazed at how much one can “squeeze out” of small little plays. Maybe it has to do with the people we are and the times we live in. We want it fast and we want it good. And a 10-minute play is fast to watch and good to see!

MTV drama. Squeezed plays. Instant theatre.

Call it whatever you like, a good 10-minute play can sometimes say as much about a subject, a theme or characters as another play nine times its length.

The genre has been instrumental in helping us find some of the most promising talents in Singapore and it has the power to do much more…”

From the souvenir programme for Freshly Squeezed!, ACTION Theatre’s 1996 production of six 10-minute plays from Singapore and America.

David Henry Hwang

David Henry Hwang, whose 10-minute play was described by The Straits Times (Singapore) as the “yardstick of what a 10-minute play could achieve at its most confident” has this to say about the genre: “I think of writing as a trip, finding the route is part of the fun. With a 10-minute play, the distance is shorter but I enjoy the sharper focus and being able to concentrate on one issue. I’ve a history of doing one acts, but this was the one act, hyper abbreviated, very efficient.”

From David Henry Hwang’s interview with 8 Days (Singapore).


THE 4TH HEWLETT-PACKARD/ACTION THEATRE
10-MINUTE PLAY CONTEST

How to Join|Prizes  | Judges|Rules  | Workshops|Talk
Contest Entry Form | Workshop Enrolment Form

HOW TO JOIN THE CONTEST

Whether you’ve written lots of plays or none at all, why not try writing a 10-minute play of your own? Our past contests have unearthed many first-timers who went on to win top playwriting awards and write some of Singapore’s best known works. These include Ming Wong (Chang & Eng – The Musical, Ka-Ra-YOU-OK?) and Desmond Sim (Autumn Tomyam, Corporate Animals). Established writers have also found the genre an exciting challenge. After all, you need to squeeze, condense, purify, consolidate and compress when writing a 10-minute play!

There are three categories in the 4th HP/ACTION Theatre 10-Minute Play Contest:

• Open
• Youth (17 to 24 years old)
• Junior(16 and below)

Plays can be of any theme or any subject. Drama, comedy, romance, suspense, avant garde, murder, mystery, science fiction, horror or any genre you fancy!

There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit and you don’t have to pay any registration fee! Before you go further, let’s look at the prizes!

All entries will also be considered for staging by and publishing by ACTION Theatre. To obtain an official entry form, please click here.

The closing date for Youth Section and Junior Section has been extended to 16 May 2005.

MEET THE JUDGES

Krishen Jit

Krishen Jit is a pioneer in shaping the identity of post-colonial theatre in Malaysia. He is a founder member of Five Arts Centre and one of the regions leading theatre practitioners. His writings about theatre can be found in newspapers, culture magazines and academic journals and his directorial achievements cover a span of over 35 years. He has directed plays by numerous playwrights including Usman Awang, Syed Alwi, Dinsman, K.S.Maniam, Kee Thuan Chye, Leow Puay Tin, David Hwang, Dick Lee, Kuo Pao Kun, Stella Kon, Jit Murad and Huzir Sulaiman.

Krishen has done theatre work in Singapore as well especially with TheatreWorks, Practice Performing Arts, Wild Rice and Action Theatre. Most recently in Singapore he directed Squeeze and Squeezability (6 ten minute plays, 2002), Proof, written by David Auburn, 2002), The Coffin is too Big for the Hole & No Parking on Odd Days, written by Kuo Pao Kun (Singapore Arts Festival, 2000). Krishen’s directorial works have played internationally - among them are Manchester United and the Malay Warrior, written by Rani Moorthy (at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival ), Family written by Leow Puay Tin (at the Festival der Geister in Berlin, 1999), Stella Kon's Emily of Emerald Hill, (at the Hong Kong Fringe Festival, 2000, the Melbourne Arts Festival, 2002), Us-Actions and Images, a devised play, (at the 5th International Experimental Theatre Festival in Cairo, 1993), Nagraland, a musical by Dick Lee (toured 5 cities in Japan, 1992), Three Children, written by Leow Puay Tin (co-directed with Ong Keng Sen, toured 2 cities in Japan, 1991).

Krishen is known for his experimental style of theatre, fusing traditional with contemporary forms. He has been a pioneer in forging a Malaysian identity for theatre and continues to create works that reflect a fast changing psyche, particularly in urban contexts.

Listed in Routledge’s Who’s Who in Contemporary World Theatre (2000), Seet advises on both literature and theatre at the National Arts Council, where among other commitments, he chairs the Grants Committee and the Selection Board for the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist of the Year in theatre and also functions as external assessor of the flagship companies. He has been a long-serving member of both the Drama Review Committee and the Films Appeal Committee of MITA and was recently acknowledged for his contributions to the Renaissance City Report. Seet has adjudicated on every major playwriting competition, from the erstwhile Singapore Literature Prize and NBDCS Book Awards to the Singapore Dramatist Awards and the 24-Hour Playwriting Competition. He also sits on the selection and interviewing panels of scholarships ranging from the Shell Centennial Scholarships, NAC Bursaries to the JCCI Arts Fellowships. Currently, he is a judge for the Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards. Holding degrees from the universities of Singapore, Toronto, Exeter, London and Edinburgh, Seet is the author of eight books and his fiction was recently dramatised for television by Arts Central. He is a keynote speaker for the annual conference of the International Federation of Theatre Research held in Sydney in July 2001.

A contributor to a recent volume of essays titled Ask Not: The Necessary Stage in Singapore Theatre, she also participated in the Performance Studies International #10 conference at the Singapore Management University in June 2004.

RULES & REGULATIONS

• Scripts must reach ACTION Theatre by the stipulated closing dates. Only English-language scripts by Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents will be accepted for this Contest.

• There is no restriction on the number of scripts per author but each script must be no more than 10 pages long (A4-size paper).

• Plays which have been produced or plays which have won awards will not be considered. All scripts must be original works by the authors.

• Title page of the script must include name, address and contact numbers. Because of the large volume of scripts submitted, ACTION Theatre will not be able to offer any individual criticism.

• Each manuscript must be typed and bound or stapled, and accompanied by an official entry form. Submission of scripts may be made via e-mail or by mail. No faxed copies of scripts will be accepted. If submitting by mail, four copies of each typewritten script must be submitted. I.C. No. or Passport No. of the author must be printed on the top right corner of every page for all submissions. Name of author must only appear on the first page of the script only.

• Scripts submitted by mail must each be accompanied by a stamped self-address envelope if the author would like ACTION Theatre to mail back an acknowledgement of receipt. For scripts received via e-mail, ACTION Theatre will acknowledge receipt of scripts by return e-mail.

• All scripts submitted will not be returned. ACTION Theatre is not responsible for any loss of script regardless of means of submission. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

• Contest entries will be considered for staging and publishing by ACTION Theatre who will have the right to the first staging and publication of the plays. Copyright of the plays will be retained by the authors. Any adaptation of scripts for television, radio or any other medium will be done with consent from authors.

• If there are no scripts which merit the prizes, the judges reserve the rights not to award any or all of them.

• All prizes are not transferable.

• ACTION Theatre reserves the right to amend the rules and conditions for this contest if deemed necessary.

• The decisions of the judges are final and no correspondence will be entertained.

WORKSHOPS

Conflicts in Four Dimensions

Join veteran playwright Mary Loh in this 3-hour practical workshop which focuses on how to create impactful 10-minute plays. Examine how to develop and compact the elements of conflict and character as impetus to writing your very own bite-sized theatrical pieces.

Choose one of the following two sessions:

• Conflicts in Four Dimensions Sat 27 Nov 04, 2.30pm – 5.30pm
• Conflicts in Four Dimensions Wed 1 Dec 04, 7.30pm – 10.30pm

Venue: Playroom 2, ACTION Theatre’s 42 Waterloo Street
Fee: S$30 per person per session ($20 for full-time students)

For an enrolment form for this workshop, please click here.

TALK CUM VIDEO SCREENING

Perfecting 10

Join winners of past HP/ACTION Theatre 10-Minute Play Contests including Desmond Sim (Drunken Prawns), Jean Tay (The Knot) and Cindy Koh (Dead Man Jumping) and as they share their secrets in writing bite-sized theatrical gems. Video recordings of prize-winning plays staged by ACTION Theatre such as David Henry Hwang’s Trying to Find Chinatown and Ming Wong’s Wayang Sayang will also be shown. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session.

• Perfecting 10: Wed 22 Sep 04, 8pm

Venue: The Room Upstairs, ACTION Theatre’s 42 Waterloo Street
Admission: Free (Seats available on first come, first served basis)

How to Join|Prizes  | Judges|Rules  | Workshops|Talk
Contest Entry Form | Workshop Enrolment Form