Student playwrights explore eight universal themes in the Long Story Shorts Festival

In its eighth year, the upcoming Long Story Shorts Play Festival will be different from all of its predecessors. 

The Long Story Shorts Festival features eight short plays written by seniors from the writing for the screen and stage minor at UNC. The director of the program, Dana Coen, started the festival as a way to showcase student playwrights.

The festival has gone through many changes since its creation in 2011. This year, however, many of those changes were unplanned.

Coen attributed the changes to two major setbacks — the main water line break on Monday prevented the actors from having their first official rehearsal, and the theater in Swain Hall was closed indefinitely.

As a result, Coen said he made an executive decision to end the long-standing tradition of using a set. Instead, actors will perform the cold reading from music stands, using minimal props. Coen said he doesn’t think this will affect the quality of the performances.

“The most important part of this festival are the plays written by the playwrights and that won’t be sacrificed,” Coen said. “What will be sacrificed is some production value, but I’m confident that the plays will be heard and the playwrights will have a positive experience.”

One playwright, Brennan Colucci, shares Coen’s view of the last-minute changes.

“Because of the water crisis, we’re still adjusting and finding out how to do it right,” Colucci said, “But the festival is meant to showcase the writers and demonstrate what’s on the page.”

Colucci always had a passion for writing and decided to apply for the writing for the screen and stage minor after taking a screenwriting class as a first-year. Colucci said he initially wanted to be a director, but the program changed his mind.

“Writing is a lot more personal,” he said. “You can have your own jokes and your own personal worldview.” 

Colucci’s comedic short play, “Small World,” reflects his love for Saturday Night Live. The title plays on the coincidental meeting of characters with ironic connections, all taking place on the It’s A Small World ride at Disney World. 

Rosemarie Kitchin, associate producer of the festival, said the plays always reflect what students are thinking and talking about. Consequently, many of the plays aren’t as lighthearted as Colucci’s.

One student, Elizabeth Buchanan, said she was inspired by the experience of losing her mother. Her play, “Mother Tongue,” set entirely in a bathroom, reflects on how people experience grief in different ways.

The festival is an opportunity that only a few students in the program get to share.

Juniors who have been accepted into the minor begin by writing a short play in their introductory class. Only eight of 18 students are chosen for the festival the following year. Those students meet with Coen and work on various drafts of the play. Once finalized, they meet the company of directors and actors, many of whom have roles in multiple plays.

“It’s a huge honor,” senior playwright Jacob Wishnek said. “Being selected as one of the eight playwrights is — wow — it’s pretty special.”

Wishnek’s play, inspired by his own experiences, is about the complexities of a relationship between a man and the woman who saved his life. He said he’s nervous about how the play will be received because of its gray subject matter.

The festival will start with four short plays, followed by an intermission, and then the final four plays. 

Coen said attendees can also purchase a published volume of 25 plays from the first five years of the festival. The book has already sold over 300 copies, Coen said, and has helped past playwrights get work with professional theater companies.

In the past, Long Story Shorts has taken place at Swain Hall Studio Six, but because of the theater’s indefinite closing, it will now be held at Gerrard Hall.

The water crisis and the closing of Studio Six may have caused some drastic changes, but those involved with the festival have remained optimistic.

Kitchin said this year’s festival rings true to the old adage, "The show must go on."

Audience members are encouraged to communicate with the playwrights after the show. Wishnek said he hopes the audience responds positively to the plays.

“I think the two goals of any writer are to make people think and to make people feel,” Wishnek said. “And I hope each piece reaches people in that way.”

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