Little play festival Short + Sweet returns this month

The Short + Sweet theater festival and competition is coming back for its third run in the Philippines. This year, it will be held at Power Mac Center Spotlight at Circuit Makati.

A "little play festival" in which dozens of plays are performed, each with a running time of only 10 minutes each, S+S offers upcoming theater talents—writers, actors, directors and technical crew—the opportunity to develop their artistry and hone their craft. According to the festival, the plays are chosen "through a vigorous, merit-based process, employing an open call for material, auditions, and artist interviews."

This year's S+S will involve 30 plays, 30 directors, and almost 100 actors. Two of the plays are from local writers.

 The festival dates are as follows:

Week 1:

• Oct. 21, 2016 (Friday) at 8 p.m.
• Oct. 22, 2016 (Saturday) at 8 p.m.
• Oct. 23, 2016 (Sunday) at 8 p.m.

Week 2:

• Oct. 28, 2016 (Friday) at 8 p.m.
• Oct. 29, 2016 (Saturday) at 8 p.m.
• Oct. 30, 2016 (Sunday) at 8 p.m.

Wild card shows:

• Oct. 29 and 30 (Saturday and Sunday) at 3:30 p.m.

Finale:

• Nov. 4, 2016 (Friday) at 8 p.m.
• Nov. 5, 2016 (Saturday) at 7 p.m.

The best five from each set will be selected by a jury and an audience poll. The top 10 will then compete during the grand finale. The festival's awards include Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.

Founded by Mark Cleary in Sydney in 2002, the Short + Sweet Theatre Festival is held throughout Australia and in countries such as India, Malaysia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and the US. The first Short + Sweet festival in the Philippines was held in 2014. — BM, GMA News

For more information about Short + Sweet, go to the festival's website and Facebook page.

For ticket bookings and other information, call 0918 877 0011 or 0917 899 0242. Tickets (P550 for the main plays and P420 for the wild cards) can be bought at the venue prior to the show.