Less is More: A Collection of Ten-Minute Plays

By David H. Rosen

Less is More is a collection of eight ten-minute plays. These tiny dramas speak to the necessity to say what is essential in a small number of words. As Shakespeare said, "Brevity is the soul of wit." The first play, "The Dissolution Mask," is by the well-known playwright Nancy West. The next two plays, "Thanatos Calling" and "Leap for Life," are the first ten-minute plays by David H. Rosen and they speak to an area of his research involving suicidology. "The Tea Gown," by known writer Maura Conlon, is a moving ten-minute play. The two gripping plays, "Baby Boomer Blues" and "Flip," were written by the dramaturge Martin Cohen. The final two plays, "True Blue" and "Sisters," are by an inspiring dramatist Eliza Roaring-Springs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Jul 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781498297608

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Less is More

A Collection of Ten-Minute Plays

Edited by David H. Rosen

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Less is More

A Collection of Ten-Minute Plays

Copyright © 2016 Wipf and Stock Publishers. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Resource Publications

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paperback isbn: 978-1-4982-9759-2

hardcover isbn: 978-1-4982-9761-5

ebook isbn: 978-1-4982-9760-8

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Contributors

Play 1: The Dissolution Mask

Play 2: Thanatos Calling

Play 3: Leap for Life

Play 4: The Tea Gown

Play 5: Baby Boomer Blues

Play 6: Flip

Play 7: True Blue

Play 8: Sisters

Acknowledgments

A debt of gratitude goes to Paul Calandrino, who taught an outstanding playwriting course at the Oregon Contemporary Theatre in Eugene, Oregon. Many of the playwrights in this book were in that class and benefitted greatly from Paul’s input and inspiration.

Preface

In drama, as in life, it is important to get the point across quickly. Ten-minute plays do that. I have deep gratitude for these short yet essential plays. The reader will note that when you have ten minutes to get the essence across, it’s quite powerful. One’s philosophy can be summed up in just a few words. As I’ve grown older, I have an awareness that Shakespeare was right: Brevity is the soul of wit. I think that you’ll see what I mean when you read these plays aloud because spoken words ring true.

David H. Rosen

Eugene, Oregon

Contributors

Nancy West begin writing plays in 2012, and her plays have been produced at the world’s largest short play festival, Short + Sweet Sydney in Australia, the Northwest Ten Festival of Ten-minute Plays at Oregon Contemporary Theatre in Eugene, Oregon, and Winter Shorts at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. She has a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Oregon, and has performed as an actor for more than 30 years. Nancy is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

David H. Rosen is the prolific author of fifteen books. He edited with Carol Goodman a recent volume titled Darkness Holding Light: A Collection of Poems. Other books by Dr. Rosen include Transforming Depression: Healing the Soul Through Creativity and the Tao of Elvis, both in their third editions. He also authored The Healing Spirit of Haiku with Joel Weishaus, which is in its second edition.

Maura Conlon is a writer, speaker and author of The Los Angeles Times bestseller, FBI Girl. People Magazines writes: A refreshing antidote to memoirs about childhood trauma . . . A coming of age story that’s at once universal and deeply individual. FBI Girl has been adapted for stage (Dramatic Publishing) with a forthcoming audiobook. Maura Conlon holds a PhD in Depth Psychology and lectures on legacy and the creative impact of life’s first fourteen years. FBIgirl.com.

Martin Cohen, a playwright, director, and actor has been trained in theater at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City. He has also earned a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at Oregon State University. As an actor and director, he worked with the Nomad’s Theater, Los Angeles, and the Santa Monica Playhouse as part of their ensemble players. His roles ranged from Moliere to Ionesco to Albee.

His play, So Far From Shore, about a 25 year old film director who was sexually molested as a child was produced for the stage in Springfield, Oregon at the Richard E. Wildish Theater. He has also written Baby Boomer Blues, about the struggles and complications of learning to love ourselves, whose 10 Minute version was staged at the Oregon Community Theatre in Eugene, Oregon.

Martin’s latest play, Checkpoint, is based in part on Homer’s Iliad, and involves the Middle East conflict between the Israeli and the Palestinian people.

Eliza Roaring Springs has been acting and directing and creating theatre for the last 40 years, but she has just recently discovered playwrighting. It’s a whole new creative world to explore!

The Dissolution Mask

By Nancy West

Characters

LINDA 40s-50s, reserved, quiet, focused

BRIAN 20s-30s, on edge, emotional, wary

SETTING

A children’s social service agency meeting room.

TIME

The present

(LIGHTS UP on a rather worn children’s social service agency meeting room. A few toys are visible. Posters are on the wall promoting immunizations in multiple languages. There is a short