
The King’s Shorts Festival of Ten Minute Plays is cancelled for 2023.
Please follow us for news of our 2024 Festival.
King’s Shorts 2022
Congrats to all involved in making the 14th Annual King’s Shorts Festival of 10-Minute Plays a success. The eight plays performed were selected by the King’s Shorts Committee from 160 scripts submitted. Of those eight scripts, Theatre Nova Scotia selected the winners of the 2022 Writer’s Award. They are:
First Place Writer’s Award: Jim Prime for ‘The Cove, 1690 AM’
Second Place Writer’s Award: Gene DeJoie for ‘Hail, Hail’
And every year the audience selects their favourite play, as performed at the festival. The winner of the 2022 People’s Choice Award is…. ‘Ribeted by You’, written by Nancy Hopps and directed by Tracy Summerville.
Congrats to all!
The eight plays performed at the 14th Annual Festival of 10-minute plays were:
A BLAZE OF GLORY
by Shawn Samuelson Henry, North Carolina
A BRIDGE NOT FAR ENOUGH
by Rosemary Frisino Toohey, Baltimore, MD
CROSS PURPOSES
by Janet Godsell, Wellington, NS
HAIL, HAIL
by Gene DeJoie, Los Angeles, CA
HARD OF HEARING
by Cheryl Burchell, Yarmouth, NS
OCTOBER
by Paul Lewis, Seattle, WA
RIBETED BY YOU
by Nancy Hopps, Eugene, OR
THE COVE, 1690 AM
by Jim Prime, New Minas, NS
King’s Shorts Committee Members:
Oliver Bass, Jane DeWolfe, Verilea Ellis
Adrian Nette & Elizabeth Rhymer
Shorts Winners 2007 to Present
2019
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First Place: Last Call, Aviva Fleising
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Second Place: Non-Fiction, Gene DeJoie
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The People’s Choice: Book Ends, Shawn Samuelson Henry
2019 Program
2018
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First Place: Hints and Allegations, Sid Filkow
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Second Place: The Order of Good Cheer, Glenna Prime and Jim Prime
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The People’s Choice: The Order of Good Cheer, Glenna Prime and Jim Prime
2018 Program
2017
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First Place: A Second Hand Love Story, Glenna Prime
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Second Place: Installing a GPS, Margot Bishop
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The People’s Choice: Funeral Sandwiches, Jim Prime and Ben Robicheau
2017 Program
2016
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First Place: Chase the Ace, Charles Salmon
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Second Place: Never Give Up, James Hutchison
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Peoples Choice: The Agency Sent Me, Jim Prime
2016 Program
2015
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First Place: The Shoe Department, Philip W. Hall
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Second Place: Go Green, Janet Godsell
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Peoples Choice: Fish and Dicks: A Tale from the Digby Neck and Islands Fish-Gutting Service and Detective Agency, Jim Prime
2015 Program
2014
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First Place: Western Music in the Meringue, Sandi Johnson
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Second Place: Better Safe than Sorry, George Freek
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Peoples Choice: The Rubber Duck, Janet Godsell
2014 Program
2013
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First Place: The Business Plan, Philip Hall
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Second Place: As the Glaciers Melt, Janet Godsell
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Peoples Choice: Speed Dating at Elderberry Manor, Eloise Comeau Murray
2013 Program
2012
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First Place: The Chair, Charles Salmon
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Second Place: A Business Arrangement, Janet Godsell
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Peoples Choice: A Business Arrangement, Janet Godsell
2012 Program
2011
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First Place: Trusting, Janet Godsell
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Second Place: True Confessions, Wayne Currie
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Peoples Choice: A Twisted Tale, Sue Higgs
2011 Program
2010
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First Place: A Little Secret, Janet Godsell
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Second Place: Touch of Grace, Wendy Lockman
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Peoples Choice: Is it Wednesday?, Pam Calabrese Maclean
2010 Program
2009
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First Place: Saved, Janet Godsell
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Second Place: Awake, Pam Calabrese MacLean
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Peoples Choice: Soon Miss Guttenberg? Oh Yes, Soon Mr Abraham, Paula Montgomery
2009 Program
2008
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First Place: What Was That Again, Wayne Currie
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Second Place: Drawing the Line, Janet Godsell
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Peoples Choice: Drawing the Line, Janet Godsell
2008 Program
2007
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First Place: The Lonely Island
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Second Place: Not Awarded
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Peoples Choice: Not Awarded
A BRIEF HISTORY OF KING’S SHORTS
In 2006, Michele Hall and Dean Taylor, a local Annapolis Royal playwright, were discussing ten minute plays with some members of the Annapolis District Drama Group, as well as with the Executive Director of Theatre Nova Scotia. They all felt that a ten minute play festival was the perfect fit for the Annapolis area and King’s Theatre. Michele and Dean formed a committee that year, and in June 2007, the King’s Shorts Festival of Ten Minute Plays was born.
The Festival Today
Including the submissions for 2019, 798 plays have been submitted to the Festival from playwrights across Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Greece, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, and India. Every June eight plays are produced. The festival has included plays by first time playwrights and by experienced playwrights, by amateur writers and by professional writers, by men and by women, by young writers and by “more mature” writers.
Our Goal
Aside from being a fundraiser for King’s Theatre, King’s Shorts has two main goals. The first is to make live theatre more accessible to all: the audience, playwrights, directors and performers alike, and the second is to help them experience, or continue to experience, the joy of live theatre. To that end, each play performed is assigned its own director and that director sets his/her cast of players. At each annual performance, a first and second place winner, based on the written work, is chosen by Theatre Nova Scotia. As well, a People’s Choice Award is selected by the audiences at the three performances of the festival.
Our Challenge to You
If you have never been involved with live theatre this is your chance. The plays are only ten minutes long so it’s a great opportunity to “jump in” with both feet. We are always looking for playwrights (new or used), and actors (experienced or otherwise), for directors (we’ll even give you a little training), for backstage crew (you only need a black t-shirt) and for audience members (you simply need the ability to enjoy yourself). In whatever capacity you choose, we look forward to seeing you at the Festival in June.