Q & A: How do I find a good 5-minute play?
Q & A:
Why should I use a 5-minute play
&
How do I find a good one?
There are lots of reasons why you might be searching for a 5-minute play. Full-length plays, one-acts or even 10-minute plays just might be too long for your needs.
Five-minute plays are great for:
Classroom work - Breaking up your classroom into small groups gives them all a chance to try some theater, without giving them the pressure or commitment of a long piece.
Young Actors - Five minutes is more manageable for attention span, as well as meeting a child where they’re at developmentally.
New or Hesitant Actors - new or hesitant actors may not feel comfortable jumping into a full play (or a director may not feel comfortable casting a new/hesitant actor in a large role in a long play). A 5-minute play allows for actors to test the waters of an acting experience, and see how they like it, with lower pressure. It’s also an opportunity for actors to show what they can do in a short period of time.
Small casts - Usually 5-minute plays have smaller casts of 2-4, which can give each actor in your 5-minute play more of a chance to explore their meatier character. No one is a background character in the same way that a cast of 20+ might feel in a longer piece.
Festivals or Showcases - Being able to show a complete play (versus extracting 5 minutes from a larger play) gives the advantage of showing depth, development, and a complete little story. These are great for festivals or showcases as there is not need to set the scene, give backstory or expect your audience to know something about the characters.
New Director - Giving a new director a 5-minute play to work on allows them the opportunity to explore all facets of directing a complete play, but without the pressure of a long piece. Since it is a complete play, the director would go through the same process as far as conception, design discussions, and working with actors, but on a smaller scale.
Exploring genres or styles - A five-minute play is a great time to try a genre or style you’re not as accustomed to. You may find you love it, or it’s not for you, but investing in a five-minute play is sure easier than investing in a 90-minute play!
A five-minute play should still be a good play. Just because it’s short doesn’t mean it should be without substance. A five-minute play isn’t the same as extracting five minutes from a longer play, because a five-minute play is a complete little play on its own. Very often, you’ll see 5-minute plays which are not much more than skits, with little to no character, plot or real story. This is fine for some purposes, but if you want a play, look for qualities any play should have.
If you want a complete play, but still under 10 minutes, look for plays that have:
A character with substance: You should know something about the characters in your play. They should have a “want,” they should have some development of who they are, and yes, one character should have some sort of character arc. Five minutes is enough time for a character to have a little change. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. It can be a shift in perspective, a softening, an understanding. But there should be some change.
A plot: It doesn’t have to be complicated or action-packed, but it should have a beginning, middle and end. A character should be trying to do something, there should be some sort of problem or complication and there should be a resolution.
A theme: Yes, it’s only five minutes, but a mini-theme is still possible!
Here are some examples of five-minute plays and how they include these qualities:
Plot:
The plot is very simple but clear. Two kids at the zoo. Riley wants a sloth to stop staring at her and asks Jaime to help. Jaime tries to get the sloth to stop staring. The sloth won’t stop staring at her.
Character:
We learn a lot about Riley very quickly, without obvious exposition. Through their efforts to make the sloth stop staring, Riley reveals her own insecurities, sharing why others have stared at her before (her hair, chocolate milk on her shirt). She assumes the sloth must be judging her and staring for a negative reason, based on these past experiences. Jaime tries to help her friend, showing her positive nature and desire to make her friend feel better. They begin talking about how cool sloths are, and how they could stare at the sloth all day. They realize, in very few words, that maybe the sloth is like them. Maybe the sloth is staring at Riley, not to make fun of her, but maybe because the sloth thinks Riley is cool too. Now having a sloth stare at you is a good thing and Jaime wishes the sloth would stare at her! This shows a subtle but significant character arc. Through encouragement from her friend, and a little bit of self-reflection, Riley changes her perspective. Her confidence raises just a little bit, and she learns not to always assume the worst.
Theme:
However short it is, there are themes and discussion points on friendship, self-worth, self-acceptance, assuming the worst/best, bullying, insecurities, encouragement.
Plot:
The plot is simple. Husband and wife, Kira and Travis, are locked out of their house. They try to find a way to get back into the house and face several challenges. Eventually, they discover a window is open and Travis heads off to get into the window.
Character:
While trying to find a way back in, the married couple argues about whose fault it is. Through their argument, not through exposition, we learn about them: Travis feels Kira micromanages him. Kira is overwhelmed caring for their child and her mother who has alzheimer’s. Kira has been forgetting things lately (including the keys), and is worried she may be developing alzheimer’s. Travis encourages Kira to lessen what is on her plate by letting letting him do his day-to-day routines on his own, and maybe seeking some help. Kira considers this. Kira then realizes she left their son’s window unlocked; they won’t have to break a window to get inside. There is no bow-tie resolution to the issue of, Is Kira simply overwhelmed and forgetting or is there something physiological underlying this? But their argument resolves through connection and care and we do know they are there to support each other. We see them begin at a place of blame and irritation, but show a character arc through vulnerability, connecting, and finding a way forward.
Theme:
The play deals with themes and discussion points of, caring for parents and children (the “sandwich generation”), blame and forgiveness, vulnerability and pride, how to be partners, sharing duties, trusting each other
For other five-minute plays, check out this list here and enjoy!