THUNDER BAY – Coming up this Friday and Saturday, Magnus Theatre will present the 10x10 short play festival.
Jordan Blaxill, theatre in education director, said the festival is a real celebration of local talent.
“It’s local playwrights, local actors and local directors who have all worked together to bring these 10-minute plays to life.”
The plays are submitted in February, he said. They are read by a jury of theatre professionals, both locally and across Canada.
From those entries, the top 10 are selected and developed with the help of a dramaturge - who works to refine the plays to get them ready to be rehearsed and performed on stage.
“This year we received close to 40 submissions. That is the most we’ve received in the three years we’ve been running this festival at Magnus Theatre,” Blaxill said.
There are about 60 people involved - between the playwrights, the directors and the backstage crew. Everyone is a local volunteer.
The actors and crew had five weeks to rehearse the plays.
Blaxill is really excited about this year's festival, which is one of the highlights of his year.
“10x10 is one of those things people look forward to,” he said.
“Just because of the big celebratory feeling and what it means to the local community to be able to gather at Magnus.”
Magnus Theatre is the only professional theatre between Barrie and Winnipeg.
“We’ve been undergoing a period of renovations.
“There’s new facilities for the actors to take advantage of, including new dressing rooms,” Blaxill said.
There are only a handful of tickets left for Friday, he said. However, there are still tickets available for the Saturday performances.
“If people are looking to get tickets, I would jump on it as quickly as possible.”
To purchase tickets, visit the Magnus website or call the box office on Wednesday between 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at 807-345-5552.
Depending on availability, some tickets may be purchased at the door.
