National Playwriting Program Awards and Festival Invitation
The David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award
Region VIII forwards two plays to the national office for consideration for The David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award, which promotes the writing and production of new plays while honoring and perpetuating the memory of David Mark Cohen, Professor of Playwriting, University of Texas-Austin. KCACTF will present this award to a student or a working playwright whose play is premiered and produced by a college or university theatre program and entered as a KCACTF associate or participating entry. The selected playwright will receive a $1,000 cash award, an Active Dramatists Guild membership, possible publication by Dramatic Publishing Company, and up to $500 to defray travel and expenses to attend a script-in-hand reading at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education's annual August conference.
David Mark Cohen Award Nominees
The Ballad of Chet (On the Eve of His Bliss) by Charles Erven, Fresno City College
We Are the Source! by Frederic B. Wildfang, Fort Lewis College
John Cauble Short Play Award
Region VIII forwards two student-written
one-act plays to the national office for consideration for invitation to the
national festival and further competition for the The John Cauble Short Play
Award. It is named for Dr. John Cauble, Professor Emeritus of UCLA, who
provided guidance and support for the establishment of the Michael Kanin
Playwriting Awards Program. The winning playwright will receive a $1,000 cash
award, an Active Dramatists Guild membership, and a professional development
opportunity designed specifically for the winning playwright.
(in alphabetical order)
Beacons of Hope by Sassan Saffari, MiraCosta College
Director: Eric Bishop, MiraCosta College
It's October of 2004, and The Boston Red Sox trail the New York Yankees three games to zero in Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series. JFK and JFK, Jr. sit atop the Green Monster, The Boston Red Sox left field wall in Fenway Park, watching the game. The Red Sox Nation has lost hope in their team, and the nation has lost hope in its government. Can the father and son team help rewrite history to instill hope in a country that is defeated?
Copper by Michael Carnick, University of California-Riverside
Director: Robin Russin, University of California-Riverside
It is Kol Nidrei, the night before Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. Nate, an Ethiopian born Rabbi, is in the temple practicing his sermon in a modest temple. Suddenly, he is interrupted by Isaac, an agitated young man. He tells Nate he's going to commit suicide, then asks the Rabbi for a blessing of the Mourner's Kaddish. He probes Nate's past and compares his solitude to the isolation Nate felt growing up as a Jewish Ethiopian in Israel. Eventually, Isaac convinces Nate to give him the blessing. Isaac then thanks the Rabbi and leaves, his fate remaining unknown.
Jinshin Jiko by Bridgette Portman, University of California-Irvine
Director: Shad Willingham, California State University-Northridge
An American businesswoman in Japan comes face-to-face with her darkest fears while riding a Tokyo train.
Odilia by Vanessa Espino, California State University-Fullerton
Director: Patrick Pearson, California State University-Fullerton
Odilia is a young modern single mother who finds herself in extraordinary circumstances. After a random act of violence, she falls through the rabbit hole into the middle ground: a place inhabited by the Esqueletos, a vibrant group of skeletons constructing an offrenda (an altar) for the new arrival. Through fractured memories and lamenting tales of their past lives, the Esqueletos lead Odilia through the eerie middle ground on her journey back to her son.
Thursday, February 9
| Event/Activity | Time | Location |
| PERFORMANCE - NPP One-Acts Evening A The Beacon of Hope Jinshin Jiko | 7:30p - 9:30p | Shepherd Union Wildcat Theater |
Friday, February 10
| Event/Activity | Time | Location |
| PERFORMANCE - NPP One-Acts Evening B Odilia Copper | 7:30p - 9:30p | Shepherd Union Wildcat Theater |
One- Act Play Respondents: Buzz Herman, Julie Jensen, & Steve Reynolds
The KCACTF National Ten–Minute Play Award
Region VIII will forward two student–written 10–minute scripts from our Ten–Minute Play Festival for consideration for an invitation to the national festival. A panel will read the sixteen regional winners and pick a play and three finalists to invite to the national festival in April (four playwrights in total). Those four plays will again be presented as staged readings in the Kennedy Center Theatre Lab with casts made up of the national Irene Ryan acting scholarship finalists or professional actors. The outstanding Ten–Minute Plays for each region (eight regions, sixteen plays) may be published by Dramatic Publishing Company. The winning playwright will receive a $1,000 cash award, and an Active Dramatists Guild membership.
National Playwriting Program Ten-Minute Play Festival
(in alphabetical order)
Foodstuffs by Rebecca Dzida, Loyola Marymount University
Director: Matt Omasta, Utah State University
John’s wife has recently died, and all he wants to do is to be left alone. Unfortunately for him, his daughter Shelley will not let him grieve in peace. The two struggle against one another, with Shelley trying to reconnect with her father and John trying his best to pull away.
Fumes and Plumes by Madhuri Shekar, University of Southern California
Director: Felicia Meyer, Fort Lewis College
A monster traffic jam on the Beijing Expressway, spanning dozens of miles, enters its tenth day. Thousands of vehicles have come to a complete standstill. Three truckers play gin, smoke, and wait by their trucks. They fight against hope. They fight for hope. They wait for the change that may never come.
I Love You More by Coral Chambers, Utah Valley University
Director: George Nelson, Brigham Young University
Chloe meets and takes care of Alice; a strong, elderly woman with cerebral palsy; their story-as told by Chloe- tells of how good they are for one another, of how they form a special bond and how they say goodbye.
The Last Slice by Nick Scutti, Concordia University-Irvine
Director: Jenny Kokai, Weber State University
Nothing can stop David and Martha from having the most wonderful anniversary dinner…until they both reach for the last slice of bread. From there, David and Martha argue over why each of them deserves the last slice, which leads to a fight over how one treats the other insignificantly. The facade of a happy marriage finally dissolves as David calls Martha a "fat lard," and Martha explains that she's pregnant, wanting to wait until their anniversary to tell him. The couple looks away from each other, neither of them wanting to finish the last slice of bread.
The Letters We Write by LeShawn Darnell Holcomb, California State University-Fullerton
Director: Jim Holmes, Loyola Marymount University
Can the power of love connect two people who come from two different worlds? Watch as Jamie, a white woman, attempts to bring together her black husband and her brother. Will love prevail?
Mochi by Wendy Gourley, Utah Valley University
Director: Darby Sue Winterhalter Lofstrand, Northern Arizona University
Mochi is a sample scene from a full-length play under development. The story follows Miko who is interned with her mother in the Topaz, Utah concentration camp during WWII. This historical fiction includes Hisako Hibi, a real person who taught at the Topaz Art School, and her paintings.
Alternate
Two Out Of Five by Jonas Oppenheim, California State University-Los Angeles
Saturday, February 11
| Event/Activity | Time | Location |
| PERFORMANCE & RESPONSE - 10 Minute Play Festival | 10:00a - 1:00p | Shepherd Union Wildcat Theater |
Ten-Minute Play Respondents: Buzz Herman, Julie Jensen, & Steve Reynolds
The NAPAT Playwriting Award
Region VIII will forward one student-written play for consideration for the NAPAT Playwriting Award, an expense-paid trip to a NAPAT Workshop in Las Vegas.
Regional Nomination for National Partners of the American Theatre Playwriting Award
The Woman on the Bridge by Beth May, Arizona State University