10-minute play festival beings at Powerhouse

Theatre Oxford will present its Ten Minute Play Festival this weekend at the Powerhouse Community Arts Center.

The 254 brave playwrights that entered were confined to strict rules to be considered for the five spots available in the final competition. 

In addition to a 10-minute time limit for the plays, the scripts could not exceed 10 pages.

Submission deadlines were in February, and the votes are in.

John Donnelly of Portland, Ore., is third runner-up with his play “Doing a Number on Comfort.”

There was a second-place tie between Philip Hall of Longboat Key, Fla.’s “Customer Service” and “Mammaries” by Joanne Koch of Evanston, Ill.

Cutting it close for the grand prize, David Bell of Oxford was awarded first runner-up with his piece “Buried Bones.”

“The Divine Visitation of Joe Pickleseimer” won Micah McCoy of Albuquerque, N.M., the grand prize of $1,000 plus an extra $50 Audience Award.

Both Bell and McCoy’s plays will be performed this weekend at the Powerhouse, along with other productions written by local talent including “Of Course, Of Course” by J. Wiltz and Keith Sisson, “The Dreamer” by Jim McCauley and “Taking Off” by Daniell L. Mattern.

The festivities begin tonight at 7 p.m., continue until Friday at 7 p.m. and conclude Sunday at 2 p.m. with a closing reception. Tickets are $10 at the door for students and seniors and $12 for adults.