On Sunday April 19, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Drama Club hosted their first installment of ‘The 10 Minute Play Showcase’. The event featured five plays that were entirely written, directed and acted out by current UWL students.
UWL’s Drama Club is in its second year as an official university club and one of the main goals of the organization is producing student-made works. After receiving a grant of $300 from the student organization committee, the club had enough funding to host its very first production, ‘The 10 Minute Play Showcase’.
This year student playwriters were tasked with writing a 10-minute play that fit into the theme of the college experience. The five plays produced were ‘Smash or Pass’ by Emma Cartwright, ‘Cherry Blossoms’ by Abby Huser, ‘Independent’ by Mia Bondy, ‘Call When You Can’ by Nathan Zirk and ‘Crash Course (In Defenestration)’ by Logan.
Because UWL’s Department of Theatre & Dance puts on three shows each semester, opportunities for students to showcase their own work rarely come up.
“This experience gives a look into what it’s like to have your work produced in a way that I haven’t experienced before…to be able to experience where your words go after you write them has been very eye opening and exciting,” said third-year playwright Emma Cartwright.
Almost all of the plays performed on Sunday centered on the struggles college students face when transitioning from high school into adulthood.
With the majority of the playwrights being upperclassmen, many of the stories drew directly from lived experience. For some writers, the process of translating those experiences required a level of openness they had never before shared with the public.
“It’s probably the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever done,” Cartwright said. “I have to trust that without me in the room and without me harnessing those words that somebody else could read them and create a character and speak life into it in a way that I intended”.
While giving students the opportunity to engage with the full scope of theatrical production, the event also reinforced the importance of trust and shared creative vision. For actors, that trust is what makes the experience meaningful.
“The collaboration process has been great because we’re all at the same level, we trust each other’s judgement…and you’re working with your friends,” said fourth year actress Mikayla Fischer.
‘The 10 Minute Play Showcase’ is a production that the leaders of the UWL Drama Club hope will become an annual event. The growth of new members in the club is one way UWL students can assure the showcase tradition will continue on.
“Join drama club even if you aren’t in the theater program; it’s a great way to experience new things in a very safe environment…we’re always looking for more people,” Fischer said.
For more information on UWL’s Drama Club, check out the club’s organization page.
