Thirteenth Annual Student Ten-Minute Playwriting Festival
Lakeland Student Wins Verna Safran Prize for Best Play

The grief following a school shooting is truthfully told in Patricia Brady’s drama, A MEMORY AWAY, featuring performances by Ali Wasmund, Yinoelle Colon, Evangeline De La O, and Steven Butler, with direction by Nicol Moeller. This is the Best Play and the winner of The Verna Safran Prize and $1,000 for Patricia.
Raphael Faraci’s THE MATRIARCH OF 2034, directed by Lee Gundersheimer, with performances by Donna DeFant, Anuj Naidu, Jill Schroeder, and Declan Moyer is the 2025 Runner-up and earns Raphael $500.
What makes a good ten-minute play? We suggest studying some excellent examples: the finalists in Theatre Odyssey festivals. All five volumes, covering festivals from 2006 to 2025, are available from Amazon.