About the Plays:

This is volume 6 of the best-selling Ten-Minute Plays anthology series from the prominent Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL), which has championed the short play with its National Ten Minute Play Contest over the years; winning plays have often been included in ATL's annual Festival of New American Plays, an influential showplace for playwrights. Ten-Minute Plays: Volume 6 contains contemporary plays by some of the world's most important writers. All are perfect for classes and showcases where actors and directors show their stuff without expending the time or money to mount a full-length play.

Ten-Minute Plays: Volume 6 contains:

• Commodity by Steve Moulds. Two men in a dive bar discuss money and its consequences, both theoretical and deeply personal. (Cast: 2 male)
• Creep by James Christy. Anne is at a party where she doesn't want to be. There, she meets Hoover, a party crasher who is having a great time observing the scene, who draws her into his stories. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Between Two Friends by Stephen McFeely. Two friends with a penchant for playing pranks on their neighbours weigh the moral consequences and ethical dilemma of digging up a dead body for the sake of a prank. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Body Talk by Tanya Palmer. A monologue play, each by a different female, in which they explore everything from relationships to body image in today's world. The text is poetic, realistic, and emotional all at the same time. (Cast: 3 female)
• Day of Our Dead by Elaine Romero. Two women meet in the Arizona desert and, despite their cultural differences, come together to honour and remember their deceased loves ones. (Cast: 2 female)
• The Devine Fallacy by Tina Howe. A camera-shy novelist needs a head shot for her upcoming novel. Chaos ensues during her photo shoot with a suave fashion photographer. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Fiddle and Faddle by Tom Gliatto. The President's mistresses, spend their days lounging by the pool in the White House, waiting to be called upon by the President. With the thought of the ongoing nuclear war looming over their heads, Fiddle and Faddle begin to question their value, and more importantly, their places in life as women who desire to love and feel love in return. (Cast: 2 female)
• Fit for Feet by Jordan Harrison. A groom-to-be develops a sudden passion for dance that leaves his fiancé questioning about how much they actually know one another as their wedding rapidly approaches. Won ATL's Heideman Award as part of the National 10-minute play contest. (Cast: 3 female, 1 male)
• Foul Territory by Craig Wright. Owen and Ruth attend a Yankee's game to take a pause from the recent disappointments in their life. However, their problems are as recurrent as the wayward baseball that continuously hits Owen in the head. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Game Theory by Peter Sagal. Two attending an Executive Boot Camp in the hopes of making themselves more employable must negotiate their way to success. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Guilt by Billy Aronson. Someone is guilty of something. (Cast: 2 female, 2 male)
• Guys by Robb Badlam. In the middle of a McDonalds, friends Duff and Ty mull over the difficulties of manhood. These include: breasts, chicken nuggets, crossword puzzles, and the sordid activities of the male brain. (Cast: 2 male)
• House of Cards by Richard Keller. Delia invites her co-worker Jack over for a poker game and he arrives dressed like the Jack of Hearts. (Cast: 2 female, 2 male)
• The Individuality of Streetlamps by Anna K. Gorisch. Two friends with a complicated romantic past discuss their love lives, or lack thereof, and the current state of their own relationship. Will this be their final attempt at friendship? (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Jerry Springer is God by Matt Pelfrey. Tex is determined to convince his friends that they should go on Jerry Springer. He believes in twenty years it will be the epitome of classic television – something they should want to be a part of. When the group becomes divided over whether or not they could pull off such a scam, personal secrets come crawling out of the woodwork. Perhaps these kids are the perfect participants for the show after all. (Cast: 3 female, 3 male)
• Kuwait by Vincent Delaney. An American journalist is caught sneaking onto the front lines in the Middle East. She is captured and interrogated by an American soldier. When his authority unravels and her actions are pardoned, they both have to question what would drive a man to apprehend an innocent woman. (Cast: 2 female, 1 male)
• Nightswim by Julia Jordan. Black water, black sky, midnight – it's a beautiful night for a swim, but for two young girls, the lake holds the promise of both velvety warmth and danger. Will Rosie convince Christina to come out and play? Won ATL's Heideman Award as part of the National 10-minute play contest. (Cast: 2 female)
• Night Visits by Simon Fill. On the anniversary of the death of Tom's wife, he must treat a mysterious patient. While there is nothing physically wrong with her, she refuses to leave the hospital. Through their interaction, they heal each other. Won ATL's Heideman Award as part of the National 10-minute play contest. (Cast: 2 female, 1 male)
• The Office by Kate Hoffower. An entertainingly grim look at how three women overcome boredom at work. They stick pencils up their noses, plot ways to kill their boss, and challenge each other to wear their bras on top of their clothes. Won ATL's Heideman Award as part of the National 10-minute play contest. (Cast: 3 female)
• Paper Thin by Lindsay Price. Sweetie and Punkin play a nightly game – betting on who will come out victorious in their neighbour's arguments. What begins as a jovial means of coping with paper thin walls, quickly crumbles into mayhem and reveals the dysfunction in Sweetie and Punkin's own relationship. (Cast: 2 female, 2 male)
Salesgirl by Stephen Levi. The holidays can be a whirlwind of activity; and no one understands this better than Cindy, a salesgirl in a busy Chicago department store. However, as she closes down the toy department on Christmas Eve, she thinks the chaos and surprises are over – that is, until Marvin her manager, gifts her a diamond ring. (Cast:. 1 female, 1 male)
• Scheherazade by Emily Roderer. Aboard a ship, an unlikely friendship forms between a sixteen year-old girl and banker. The two begin spinning stories about all the other guests about the ship and begin to debate over the believability. Which is better: an unbelievably exciting story or a one that makes you second guess reality? (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Swan Lake Calhoun by Yehuda Hyman. When Cig falls into an ice-fishing hole, he is convinced his bleak life is over. Just before he sinks below the ice, Lena – a woman cursed into the body of a goose – appears to rescue him. She not only shares her love with him, but also her curse. (Cast: 1 female, 2 male
• Trash Anthem by Dan Deitz. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)
• Two Truths and a Lie is a romantic comedy by Mary Michael Wagner. After a nasty break up, Claire and Danny fight over their shared apartment by playing the game Two Truths and a Lie everyday on their front steps to see who gets to stay in their apartment for the night and who has to crash on a friend's couch. Will today's match be just another game, or will a champion finally be crowned? (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)