Theatres are usually dark on Monday nights, but Road Less Traveled Productions is shining its spotlight tonight in honor of regional playwrights whose work was selected for the 10-Minute Play Fest, a new initiative.

Tonight’s 10-Minute Play Fest features seven area playwrights who penned new works to compete in this first-time outreach. Said Scott Behrend, RLTP director, “RLTP has supported WNY playwrights for 15 years. The nature of that support has continually evolved, and I wanted to create an opportunity for new playwrights to showcase their work and to introduce some of them to the WNY theatre community. “

RLTP Literary Department Manager Katie Malinson and New Play Coordinator Jon Elston managed this project which began last year with an open submission call. Playwrights from Rochester to Ontario responded and a team of adjudicators reviewed each submission to arrive at the seven works that are featured tonight. Malinson said, “The intent of this project is to find new voices for the company and reach playwrights who haven’t hadn’t their work produced at RLTP yet and have their new works on our stage.”

The plays will be presented tonight as staged readings, with a different cast for each play. The playwright and the director collaborated on casting. This project attracted some new-to-RLTP actors and directors, as well. “There are so many people I haven’t worked with,” says Malinson.

Malinson said she is pleased with the results from this first-time outreach. “We’ve done other staged readings before, but not like this. All of tonight’s plays are quirky, fun pieces with different takes on life and relationships.”

For the playwrights, this is another opportunity to have their work heard by a live audience. Perhaps it’s also that little extra nudge a writer may need to develop a short work into a full-length play. Darleen Pickering-Hummert is one of the seven playwrights selected for this evening’s reading. She says, “I think writers always have anxiety about sharing their work with anyone else and in this case, it’s with a live audience!   I’m over the moon to have Connie Caldwell reading my “Stage Mothers” piece directed by Kyle LoConti. Thanks to Road Less Traveled for presenting this event because it’s so important to encourage and nurture playwrights.”  

In addition to Stage Mothers, tonight’s line up includes: “1/5” by Jes Tokarski; “In The Air Tomorrow Night” by j. Snodgrass; “Blood Orange” by Marcus Scott; “A Play Within A Play” by Hilary Lyons; “Cog and Em” by Nolan Miles; and “Pausing at the Fringe” by David Healey.

The RLTP 10-Minute Play Fest is a one-night only event on Monday January 28 at 7:30pm.  Tickets are $10 each and available online at www.roadlesstraveledproductions.org, or by calling the RLTP Box Office at (716) 629-3069.  Seating is limited. Advance purchase required.