Take Ten: New 10-Minute Plays

by Eric Lane (Editor), Nina Shengold (Editor)

A ten-minute play is a streak of theatrical lightning. It doesn't last long, but its power can stand your hair on end. This splendid anthology contains enough wattage to light up a small city. For in its pages, thirty-two of our finest playwrights hone their skills on a form that has been called the haiku of the American stage. The plays that Nina Shengold and Eric Lane have collected in this volume range from monologues to an eight-character farce. Eminently producible, ideally suited for the classroom and audition, Take Ten is a marvelous resource for teachers and students of drama, as well as a stimulating read for lovers of the theatre. Contributors John Augustine, Cathy Celesia, Laura Cunningham, Joe Pintauro, Mary Sue Price, Megan Terry, Jose Rivera, Romulus Linney, David Mamet, Jane Martin, David Ives, and many others.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 1997

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of drinking, sex, and AIDS. Most of the plays were performed in the 90s in NYC, so that pretty much explains it.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 3/4 stars

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread for inspiration, didn't get much.

[Yourfiendmrjones · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most anthologies, this is a very mixed bag of work. The ones that stuck with me are the character monologues by accomplished playwrights like Durang, Mamet and Wilson. There are other pieces but nothing noticeable like the ones with one actor connecting directly with an audience while yelling a story.

And yet I love the anthology format. It always has surprises. For instance, reading the piece by David Manner reminded me of why I liked him in the first place. His ability to grab you by the throat with the power of what he’s writing. It felt lost in the past few years. But here, in this collection… something like a lightning bolt.

Pick it up. The great thing about these is, even if you read something forgettable or just plain bad… there’s always something new around the corner.

[Sarah Stone]

A really hard form, but some of these are memorable: Tony Kushner has a satirical take on the playwright food chain that sticks with me and some of the others get quite surreal. Note to self and others: never end a 10-minute play with the two characters dancing slowly as the light fades. Just in case any of us were in danger of doing that...

[John Molina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of short plays is pretty interesting, but ultimately this collection of really short plays just wasn't for me. I felt that a play consisting of mostly 2 or 3 page plays wasn't enough to adequately build characters or to bring any sense of urgency to them. Ultimately, the plays felt a little too gimmicky for me and I thought they were trying to hard to be high-art.

[Nick Pappas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a collection of short plays. Some are good, some are bad. What are you going to do?

[Colleen]

I seem to suck at coming up with ideas for 10-minute plays, so I'm trying to learn more about them by seeing what other people have done.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wide-ranging collection with some interesting offerings. My favorite by far was "Ferris Wheel" by Mary Miller. A few others that stood out were "A Bowl of Soup" by Eric Lane; "The Man Who Couldn't Dance" by Jason Katims; "The Philadelphia" by David Ives; "That Midnight Rodeo" by Mary Sue Price; and "Judgment Call" by Frederick Stroppel.

[Christina Hopp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of these plays are forgettable to me, though I really liked a couple. It's an anthology so it's to be expected that some will be liked more than others, but I just found most of them not hitting for me.

[Roger Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirty ten minute plays and one monologue by August Wilson. The quality and range of the plays chosen is exceptional.

[James Binz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent samples of wonderful 10s. A joy to read and such interesting pieces!

[Caitlin Buxbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handful of really good ones in there.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for Anything for You
By Cathy Celesia

Another cutting is for The Ferris Wheel
By Mary Miller

Yet another cutting is for The Philadelphia
By David Ives

Still another cutting is for A Sermon
By David Mamet

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this book used off of ebay. I did so because it includes the play Ferris Wheel by Mary Miller. My research indicated that many Toastmasters read this for the fourth speech in the Interpretive Reading manual.

It's an amusing play about two riders on a Ferris wheel who are both fearful. They fall in love during the course of their ride.

It's listed as a 10-minute play. I read it in just shy of 16 minutes. I have seen YouTube videos that come in at about 14 minutes. Nevertheless, it is a fun play.

I have not read anything else in this anthology to date.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standouts:

The Philadelphia - David Ives

A Bowl of Soup - Eric Lane

Gas - José Rivera

Phone Sex and a Dumb Show - Steven Sater

Welcome to the Moon - John Patrick Shanley

R.A.W. (‘Cause I’m a Woman) - Diana Son

Judgement Call - Frederick Stroppel

Breakfast Serial - Megan Terry

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my creative writing class, and it worked perfectly. The selection is terrific, and many of the plays are great. Some are "meh" but that's to be expected. It was tremendously helpful for my students to get these examples of the sub-genre.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My high school senior project was one of these, and when I look back I realize how simple they are. Still, good for people with limited time or experience.

[Heather Luff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was trying to find decent interp material for my debate team. A lot of these are just not school appropriate, too many swears, a bit raunchy.

[Amanda Bynum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I basically got every one-act play I ever directed from this collection. 100% awesome.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

One I read was Ferris Wheel by MAry Miller 161. Striking in simplicity of lack of real communication between men and women, strangers, and people in general.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 5 plays. liked Ferris Wheel & Gas.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of great writing.

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good, some not so good. Laura Cunningam's "Flop Cop" and Mary Miller's "Ferris Wheel" were the memorable highlights for me.

Some suffer from not enough info or moving too quickly.

[Andy]

god damn this book to the fiery reaches of hell