inspiraTO, Canada’s Largest Ten Minute Play Festival

Update: inspiraTO will be re-launching a ten-minute play festival in partnership with Crane Creations Theatre Company in the summer of 2023.

When artistic director Dominik Loncar founded inspiraTO, he wanted to see if you could make high-quality theatre in ten minutes that tells a compelling story. Turns out you can, and people love it. Theatre inspiraTO is the creative force behind Canada’s biggest ten-minute play festival – inspiraTO Festival. This festival was first launched in 2006 at Toronto’s cozy Alchemy Theatre and the response from audiences was incredible. The festival’s popularity grew exponentially, going from a mere weekend trial run to a yearly event that now receives over 600 ten-minute play submissions from more than 100 theatre artists.

The process for the contest and playwriting program is quite simple. Playwrights are presented with a creative challenge, and from their submissions, a select few are chosen. These plays are then grouped together into shows consisting of 6-8 ten-minute plays. The challenge is to create a cohesive set design while minimizing set and prop changes between plays.

The inspiraTO Festival is a fantastic opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their talents. It provides an excellent platform for writers, actors, and directors to connect with each other and with a wider audience. For actors, it’s a chance to hone their craft and gain exposure. Writers have a greater chance of having their plays produced and can test their creativity with a receptive audience. New directors can gain valuable experience and creatively explore shorter scripts before taking on a full-length play. The Festival offers a diverse range of artists the chance to shine, and in the process, the audience is exposed to a plethora of new voices, ideas, and perspectives.

To learn more visit the Theatre InspiraTO Festival website.