Play festival offers something to entertain everyone

The Ten Minute Play Festival, fully organized, written and produced by UM Drama and Dance students, continues tonight and tomorrow free of charge at the Masquer Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
Every semester for the past five years, UM drama students have organized the event to showcase student work. Festival Co-Producer and drama major Aaron Lindstrom says the event also gives underclassmen drama students a chance to participate in plays.
“All of this is completely independent of any affiliation,” Lindstrom said. “It’s also a great way to get freshmen on the stage.”
Lindstrom said earlier in the semester 15 separate plays, movements and dances were submitted to the festival organizers. Those 15 productions were whittled down to eight. Student Directors then held auditions for the next month in preparation for the three-day long festival. 

The festival features an eclectic mix of subject matter including love stories, comedies, dances and movement pieces. A movement piece consists of only dancing, movement and music.
“There’s everything here, we have really funny scripts as well some really sad plays,” Lindstrom said.
Acting major and dance minor, Katie Kohler helped choreograph the featured dance piece entitled, “How to Wear a Backpack, Bitches.” Kohler has participated in the festival three times prior to this fall.
Kohler said that whenever somebody asks what the dance is about, she tends to not classify it as a dance, but rather a rhythm-based movement piece because it allows the dancers to express themselves in their own way without getting bogged down by specific dance techniques. 
“There is some dance technique incorporated like tap and ballet, but this piece is not something you would learn in a class,” Kohler said.
A majority of plays and productions that run at UM are brought in by professional companies or adapted plays for students to act in. The Ten Minute Play Festival breaks away from this norm and showcases student talent in every level of drama production.
“I think it’s a new form of theatre that breaks the mold from what usually comes out of our department,” Kohler said. “And it’s just really fun to look at.”
kelsey.bernius@umontana.edu