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GROSSE POINTE WOODS — If variety is the spice of life, then Grosse Pointe Theatre’s Take Ten: Ten-Minute Play Festival is one well-seasoned theatrical production.
Audiences will be treated to a range of short plays, from witty to moving, during the festival, which will be staged May 1-3 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Grosse Pointe Woods. All shows this year had to incorporate a waiting room.
St. Clair Shores playwright Mary Lou Britton, of Grosse Pointe Theatre, executive producer and founder of the festival, said this event appeals to theatergoers of all kinds.
“If you’re bored and you don’t like (the play being staged), wait 10 minutes and you’ve got a whole new story,” Britton said. “We can do funny and poignant and scary and childlike all at the same time.”
This marks the festival’s 13th anniversary. Britton said it started out as part of a 10-minute playwrighting workshop GPT hosts each year. In the first few years, plays were only presented to workshop students and GPT members, but as interest in it grew, they began producing the shows for the public.
The 2026 10-minute play contest drew about 375 entries from across the globe. Britton reads all of them as they come in and eliminates entries that didn’t meet the theme, length or other requirements. From there, the festival committee reads the remaining entries and whittles it down to roughly the best 35 plays, which are then sent to a panel of judges. Britton said the judges are non-GPT members from all over the state.
This year’s winners hail from communities including Ottawa, Ontario; New York City; and Santa Monica, California. There were several metro Detroiters whose works were selected as well: “Waiting for ‘Waiting for Godot,’” by Dan Woitulewicz, of Macomb Township; “The Yellow Submarine,” by Patricia Ellis, of Grosse Pointe City; “The Relax and Restore Treatment,” by Annelyse Beaman Miller, of Troy; and “Pantalaimon,” by Erica Hobbs, of Detroit.
One tip for playwrights submitting to the festival in the future: Don’t send in a play with a narrator.
“It won’t get past me, that’s for sure,” Britton said, calling it “lazy writing.”
Proofread the script first, too — or ask someone to do it for you.
Britton said she’s most surprised by “the condition these scripts come in, with typos, words missing, words misspelled. That’s the biggest thing that amazes me.”
GPT’s 10-minute playwrighting workshop usually takes place from September to November so that participants can write a play in time for the festival deadline, if they opt to enter their work.
Besides the playwrights, the festival showcases the talents of local actors, directors and crew, all of whom volunteer their time. For some of them, it’s their first time working on a play. There are approximately 20 to 30 actors in the shows this year, some of whom are playing a couple of different roles.
“Three years ago, I directed a ten-minute play for the first time,” Ten-Minute Play Festival Vice Chair Arlene Pollock said in a press release. “I loved it so much that I have continued directing for the Play Festival ever since.”
Pollock is directing “The Yellow Submarine” for this year’s festival.
Britton said their goal this year is to bring in about 300 patrons over the weekend. That’s roughly the number they’ve had over the last couple of years and comes close to matching their seating capacity.
“I look forward to audiences enjoying the efforts and talents of everyone involved in the Play Festival,” Ten-Minute Play Festival Program Chair Peter DiSante said in a press release. “I hope audiences will leave the performance feeling that they have had a unique and enjoyable experience and even gain some new perspectives on the subjects covered in this year’s plays.”
GPT’s Take Ten: Ten-Minute Play Festival will be staged at 7 p.m. May 1 and 2, and at 2 p.m. May 3, at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 20475 Sunningdale Park in Grosse Pointe Woods. Tickets cost $15 and open seating is limited. For advance tickets or more information, contact GPT at gpt.org or (313) 881-4004.
