This past weekend, Theatre Oxford and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council hosted more 300 audience members for its 2019 Ten-Minute Play Festival – a massive surge in audience turnout from the past several years.
All audience members got a chance to vote on their favorite of the eight short plays, and the audience favorite was Emily McClain’s family comedy “Secret Family Recipes,” directed by Dr. Daniell Mattern, winning by one vote over Chuck Smith’s play, “PayDayus Ex Machina,” a whimsical depiction of the existential conundrums plaguing vending machine snacks, directed by Naomi Levin.
Other audience favorites were “Ashes to Dust,” by Oxford native Kate Leslie, directed by Kate Meacham, and “Grief Has Waltzed on my Heart Tonight,” by local writer William Boyle, directed by UM student James Barton.
The entire evening’s production was enhanced by the musical performances of singer Damein Wash and accompanist Adam Stringer.
Theatre Oxford board members were overjoyed by the turnout, and David Bell, one of the past festival contributors, said that “this year’s version was all-around the best production in its history.”
For more information on Theatre Oxford, visit www.theatreoxford.org or send an email to theatreoxford@gmail.com.
Courtesy of Theatre Oxford
