Community Theatre accepting submissions for one act play festival

Las Cruces Community Theatre (LCCT) is now accepting applications from interested authors and/or directors for LCCT’s 34th annual One Act Play Festival, which will be presented in performances March 17-19 and 24-26, LCCT said in a news release.

All play scripts must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 10.

With the festival, LCCT promotes local playwrights by offering them an opportunity to present their work in front of live audiences, the news release said.

“The One Act Play Festival at LCCT is a spring tradition that returns this year,” said long

time Las Cruces actor and director Gail Wheeler, who is the festival coordinator. “As we celebrate the return to normal, we’ve decided to add a theme to this year’s festival: ‘A New Beginning.’

Having to close the theater right before opening a major production, and then having to re-build it again is what made us all think about starting again,” Wheeler said. “A New Beginning expresses what we want to do with the festival. We encourage ALL writers to submit a script because part of a new beginning is to encourage everyone to come to the theater…there are many stories to be told and we want to include many.”

For the festival, LCCT is seeking plays that:

• Are original scripts written by local playwrights
• Are one-act plays or cuttings from full-length plays
• Are 10-15 minutes in length
• Have simple technical/design requirements
• Have casts of six or fewer actors
• Contain content that is suitable for a general audience.

Playwrights interested in submitting original works for the festival should apply with a stage director, LCCT said. If the playwright does not have a director and the play is chosen for the festival, LCCT will assign a director.

All play scripts must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 10. Application forms are available at www.LCCTNM.org/one-act, along with instructions regarding where to email the script and completed application.

If a play is selected for the festival, Wheeler will meet with the author and director before the first rehearsal to discuss the design and technical aspects of the play. 

LCCT will hold a group audition for all of the one-act plays selected for production in 2023 from 6:30-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at LCCT, 313 N. Main St. downtown. All the directors and authors seeking cast members should attend the audition.

“It is often a challenge to find directors, so playwrights should have someone in mind or plan to direct their own work. We will have open auditions where playwrights, actors and directors can come together. We encourage anyone who has ever thought about auditioning to come on down because this is a great way to start if you’ve ‘always wanted to act,’” Wheeler said.

Directors should plan on eight hours of rehearsal for the typical 15-minute play, not including the week of dress/tech rehearsals before opening, LCCT said. The first rehearsals at the theatre will begin Monday, Feb. 20. Rehearsals will typically be scheduled in the evenings and on weekends. Tech week rehearsals are tentatively scheduled for Monday, March 13-Thursday, March 16. 

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, March 17 and 18 and 24 and 25 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 19 at 26 at LCCT.