Time ticks on until UNISTA’s 10-Minute Play Festival

The University of Northern Iowa Student Theatre Association will present its fourth annual 10-Minute Play Festival March 27 at 7:30 p.m. and March 28 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

The festival will be held in the Bertha Martin Theatre in the Strayer-Wood Theatre. There is a $5 admission fee, and the show is open to the public.

This year's festival features a lineup of eight plays, all written by UNI students. The plays are directed by UNISTA members and performed by more than 25 current students from various backgrounds and majors.

Ian Goldsmith, a sophomore psychology and theatre double major, has been involved with UNISTA for a little more than a year.

"Earlier in the year, UNISTA accepted student entries for scripts," he said. "Then the UNISTA board sits down and reads all the entries and picks about eight or so. Then the directors get to choose which script they would like to direct."

Ryan Decker, a sophomore theatre major, will also direct one of the festival's eight plays. The play he will direct titled "Close to the Flame" focuses on a husband whose wife has left him for reasons unbeknownst to him.

"Sets, lighting and costuming is always fairly basic in the festival," Decker said. "The emphasis of the festival is on direction and acting. My set will be a couch and a chair that can be hauled on and off stage quickly, and costumes will be pulled from the actors' own closets."

Goldsmith and Decker both encourage students to take the time to attend the festival.

"A lot of students are involved with the annual festival," Decker said.  "Not only do you get to enjoy the wonderful performances, but you also show your support for a number of UNI students."

"(You) can pretty much expect great entertainment," Goldsmith said. "I will give the disclaimer that since this is written by the students and not directly affiliated with the department, the plays might be more ‘adult' than people might expect. Keep that in mind if you plan on bringing Grandma Lucy out to see the festival.

"Besides that, I would expect some awesome performances of some spectacular scripts."

The festival's full line-up is as follows: "New Year's Eve Anniversary" by Andrea Morris, directed by Charles Hays; "Tinderbox" by Kelsey Waugaman, directed by Rachel Russell; "Close To The Flame" by Charles Hays, directed by Ryan Decker; "Cave" by John Anderson, directed by Ian Goldsmith; "Five Dollars" by Tom Willoughby, directed by Liz Cook; "Alongside The Potatoes" by Laura Neill, directed by Allison Krois; "Love You" by Charles Hays, directed by Matt Runnells and "Coo Coos Wedding Bells" by Andrea Morris, directed by Amy Garretson.

For more information about UNISTA and the 10-Minute Play Festival, visit the UNISTA Web site at www.UNISTAonline.com.