Short but sweet scripts in mere minutes

Sydney is again in the midst of the summertime festival season and this month saw the opening of Short + Sweet, the world’s largest 10-minute play festival.

Conceived by Mark Cleary and developed by Alex Broun, the 9-year-old festival provides a platform for actors, directors and writers to showcase their work.

Now held all around Australia and internationally in Auckland, Singapore and Malaysia, the festival helped launch the career of Bondi actor Rose Byrne among many others.

This year’s festival includes Tanya Ann Powell, who has previously worked in Fringe in London.

“There’s some fantastically well written material. I’m working on two excellent scripts, with fantastic directors, opposite two great actors,” Powell said.

Her first appearance for the festival is in Catastrophe (February 3 – 7, Newtown Theatre), a dark comedy about a woman’s struggle with her husband’s obsession with his best friend; the second in Hopechest, a moving drama about a couple’s struggle with loss and grief (February 17 – 21, Newtown Theatre).

Bondi writer Matt Orchard heard about the festival through a friend and entered his play Proposal (January 13 – 17, Newtown Theatre), about the subtleties of things we say when breaking up.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing it on stage and hope it makes people laugh,” he said.

The festival runs until February 27 at Newtown Theatre and the NIDA Parade Playhouse. It closes March 12 and 13 with a gala awards and finals event at NIDA.

For full schedule and tickets visit www.shortandsweet.org or 8507 3034 (Newtown Theatre) and 1300 795 012 (NIDA Parade Playhouse).