This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Long Story Shorts, a one act festival featuring readings of eight, short plays written by undergraduate students in the Writing for the Screen and Stage minor, an interdisciplinary, dramatic writing program housed in the Department of Communication. This year’s line-up is particularly special as it was recorded on the main stage of UNC’s Memorial Hall under Covid-safe conditions, and will be presented to the public over Zoom on December 4, 5 and 6 at 8PM.
Student playwrights are afforded the unique opportunity to participate in a collaborative, developmental environment led by experienced faculty and professional actors and directors. In 2017, the program published a volume of twenty-five plays from the first five years of the Festival. Whether they are humorous, poignant, powerful, or provocative, these plays demonstrate why the short play form has become so popular; why this event has become one of the highlights of the university’s cultural scene; and why the Writing for the Screen and Stage program has thrived.