It’s rare that I actually get to see productions of my short plays, which makes it so much more exciting when I do.

Ina Loaiza, “Jump” Short+Sweet Hollywood, 2024

The Short+Sweet Hollywood Festival recently wrapped up and I was fortunate enough to have three short plays selected for the Festival. For the uninitiated, Short+Sweet bills itself as “The Biggest Little Play Festival in the World” and they live up to the claim. Featuring only 10-minute plays, submissions are centrally organized, and festivals run semi-independently around the world, with new cities popping up every year. I’ve had tremendous good luck getting productions with them. Interactions with directors vary from virtually nothing beyond an introduction, to pre-rehearsal Zoom chats, to invitations to sit in on rehearsals. The Hollywood Festival was hosted by the new Festival Director Ashley Karp and Assistant Director Soda Persi and ran in May and June at the Victory Theatre in Burbank.

My three playlets: Grace, directed by Colin A Borden, featuring Averi White and Katherine Tewksbur; The Line,  directed by Nick Roy, featuring Nikki Yates, Matthew Namik, Jaq Shannon, Tina Thomas, Angelique Fustukijian and “more…” (so many more, it was awesome): and Jump  directed by Ann Hurd, featuring Ina Loaiza and Jared Boyd Miller.

Grace has enjoyed a number of productions, but this is the first time I’ve laid eyes on one. I adore the collaborative nature of theatre—especially when the director and actors find things I, as playwright, didn’t even know were there (maybe I shouldn’t admit that?) and this group found some beautiful moments between the characters.

This festival marked the premier production for  The Line and I’m not quite sure where director Nick Roy found the small army of people to stand in the line (or what he promised them??) but the effect was absolutely fantastic. The staging ideas he brought to this little piece were wonderful and so creative.

Jump was an ITC (Independent Theatre Company) entry, which meant I got to bring in the amazing Ann Hurd to direct. Ann had played the lead in the first staging of this piece, which was written for a 24-hour festival with Theatre Unleashed—our first time back from Covid. I owe a debt of thanks to the angel (you know who you are) who tapped me on the shoulder and insisted I bring this piece to the festival—that kind of encouragement is beyond measure.

All three pieces made it to the semi final round, (I even got a fun shout out from Broadway World for this coup), and the actors in Jump got a (much deserved) nod for “Best Drama Duo” award from the Festival. Rumor has it I got an “Overachiever” award, which is a complete mystery to me.

My gratitude to the Festival & the Festival Directors, and the directors & actors who brought my words to life and were so kind and welcoming.

Photo credits: @labrujacreative / Veronica Rosas.

It’s rare that I actually get to see productions of my short plays, which makes it so much more exciting when I do.

The Short+Sweet Hollywood Festival recently wrapped up and I was fortunate enough to have three short plays selected for the Festival. For the uninitiated, Short+Sweet bills itself as “The Biggest Little Play Festival in the World” and they live up to the claim. Featuring only 10-minute plays, submissions are centrally organized, and festivals run semi-independently around the world, with new cities popping up every year. I’ve had tremendous good luck getting productions with them. Interactions with directors vary from virtually nothing beyond an introduction, to pre-rehearsal Zoom chats, to invitations to sit in on rehearsals. The Hollywood Festival was hosted by the new Festival Director Ashley Karp and Assistant Director Soda Persi and ran in May and June at the Victory Theatre in Burbank.

Ina Loaiza, “Jump” Short+Sweet Hollywood 2024

My three playlets: Grace, directed by Colin A Borden, featuring Averi White and Katherine Tewksbur; The Line,  directed by Nick Roy, featuring Nikki Yates, Matthew Namik, Jaq Shannon, Tina Thomas, Angelique Fustukijian and “more…” (so many more, it was awesome): and Jump  directed by Ann Hurd, featuring Ina Loaiza and Jared Boyd Miller.

Grace has enjoyed a number of productions, but this is the first time I’ve laid eyes on one. I adore the collaborative nature of theatre—especially when the director and actors find things I, as playwright, didn’t even know were there (maybe I shouldn’t admit that?) and this group found some beautiful moments between the characters.

This festival marked the premier production for  The Line and I’m not quite sure where director Nick Roy found the small army of people to stand in the line (or what he promised them??) but the effect was absolutely fantastic. The staging ideas he brought to this little piece were wonderful and so creative.

Jump was an ITC (Independent Theatre Company) entry, which meant I got to bring in the amazing Ann Hurd to direct. Ann had played the lead in the first staging of this piece, which was written for a 24-hour festival with Theatre Unleashed—our first time back from Covid. I owe a debt of thanks to the angel (you know who you are) who tapped me on the shoulder and insisted I bring this piece to the festival—that kind of encouragement is beyond measure.

All three pieces made it to the semi final round, (I even got a fun shout out from Broadway World for this coup), and the actors in Jump got a (much deserved) nod for “Best Drama Duo” award from the Festival. Rumor has it I got an “Overachiever” award, which is a complete mystery to me.

My gratitude to the Festival & the Festival Directors, and the directors & actors who brought my words to life and were so kind and welcoming.

Photo credits: @labrujacreative / Veronica Rosas.