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Shorts have become very trendy these days in the Southeast Florida region. And no, I’m not talking about the kind you wear. Over the past few seasons, short play festivals have become more and more prominent along the Southeast coast of Florida, not only popular with Artistic Directors but with audiences as well. Currently there are no fewer than seven different theater companies in the Florida Southeast that are looking for the next great short play. Here’s a sampling:

City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Festival
Having just celebrated its 20th Anniversary, City Theatre is still going strong. The largest and most prestigious short play festival in the country, Summer Shorts has become a cherished mainstay of the South Florida theater season. Each summer, scores of theatergoers flock to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Miami to enjoy the very best short plays that the country has to offer. Throughout the years, the festival has produced a staggering 171 world premieres. Susan Westfall, City Theatre Founder, Literary Director and a DG member says the festival is always on the lookout for work that is lively, timely, provocative and surprising. Submissions are accepted from August 30 – September 30. If you have questions, please write susan@citytheatre.com.

City Theatre & Island City Stage’s Shorts Gone Wild
Three years ago, City Theatre teamed up with Island City Stage in Fort Lauderdale to create an LGBT version of their acclaimed Summer Shorts Festival.  The result—Shorts Gone Wild—was an instant success. Funny, insightful and poignant, the plays presented each summer resonate with audience members no matter what their sexuality. Have a short play with a LGBT theme?  Send it to Andy Rogow at reply.islandcitystage@gmail.com

The Naked Stage’s 24 Hour Theatre Project
A beloved South Florida theater staple for over eight years, The Naked Stage’s 24 Hour Theatre Project has become a must-see annual happening. Presented in the spring at various venues throughout South Florida, this one-night event combines the talents of literally dozens of directors, actors and, most importantly, playwrights. Here’s how it works: At 7pm on a Sunday night, eight playwrights pick a play title and the names of a director and four actors out of a hat. They are then given the task of writing a complete ten-minute play in just under twelve hours. At 8am, their director and casts show up and—for the next ten hours or so—rehearse and refine the plays. At 8pm, all eight shows are presented, off-book and fully staged, to what always ends up being a sold out house. It is exhilarating and exhausting, as much fun for the theater artists as it is for the audience. To be considered as one of the playwrights, email thenakedstage@mac.com

MicroTheater Miami
Tucked between Downtown Miami skyscrapers on a bustling side street sits a parking lot filled with what appears to be an assortment of large metal shipping crates. This is the home of MicroTheater Miami. And those shipping crates…they’re mini-theaters. Hip little mini-theaters perfect for hip little mini-plays. It also happens to be where some of the hottest young Florida playwrights are hearing their plays performed. While the company operates straight through the year, the performances are broken into seasons. Each season usually lasting about five weeks and following a theme. Plays are performed in both English and Spanish and are geared towards a younger audience. Just like their audience, these plays are edgy, urban and fun. To find out how to submit, email MiamiMicroTheater@Gmail.com

New Theatre’s Monologue x 2 and Miami 1-Acts Festivals
Since its inception in 1986, New Theatre has been an incubator for new work. Located in South Miami-Dade, the theater prides itself on cultivating new work from young playwrights. A fine example of this is the Miami 1-Acts Festival. Presented with a bare-bones approach, the final plays are chosen by a panel looking for creativity, originality and theatricality. All styles and genres are welcome. Another New Theater favorite is the newly created Monologue x 2 Festival. The concept is a fascinating one: One playwright writes a monologue that is then interpreted by two separate directors directing two separate actors. Five of these “sets of monologues” are presented in one night. It’s an intriguing evening of theater, showcasing how different directors and actors can approach the same work. To find out more about New Theatre’s Monologue x 2 Festival, write to Mx2NewTheatre@gmail.com. To find out more about the Miami 1-Acts Festival, write M1ANewTheatre@gmail.com.

The Playgroup’s Shortcuts Festival
The Playgroup, founded in 2010, is dedicated to bringing the work of South Florida playwrights to the stage. Monthly workshops in Boca Raton allow local playwrights to bring in a play or excerpt of 10 minutes or less to be cold read by actors and critiqued by the group. They produce three shows a year, always from a local playwright. One of the highlights of their season is their Shortcuts Festival, where they present an evening of short plays completely written by local writers. It’s a fun, thoroughly engaging night of theater. These plays can be any subject or style, but they tend to gravitate towards comedy. To submit a short play to the Shortcuts Festival, write to Joyce Sweeney, at grackle@bellsouth.net

Pigs Do Fly Productions’ Fifty Plus Festival
For the past three years, Pigs Do Fly Productions has produced a series of short play festivals featuring 10-minute plays about people over 50 doing interesting things with their lives. These shorts are insightful, moving and more times than not, wonderfully funny. So if you have a short play or two about folks over the age of 50, send them on to Pigs Do Fly. Any submissions or questions should be sent to kassieinc@comcast.net

There are many fine short plays that have been created in this region. Some of which may be sitting on your desktop as you read this. These festivals are a great way to show them off.

mmckeever@dramatistsguild.com