The South Florida theatre community converged on the Deering Estate at Cutler for the third South Florida One-Minute Play Festival (1MPF), held on January 17 and 18, 2015. 1MPF is considered the largest and longest running short-form theatre company in the country. Dominic D’Andrea is the festival’s Producing Artistic Director and Founder. 1MPF showcases the talent of local playwrights, actors and directors by inviting these local artists to submit original works about their world as it is here and now. About 70 plays are selected from the submissions received and 8 directors are chosen. It is the directors’ responsibility to put ‘clumps’ of 8 one-minute plays together and do the casting for said plays. As Artistic Director, Mr. D’Andrea is an integral part of the collaborative process, giving guidance to the writers and directors before the finished plays are presented to local audiences. D’Andrea attributes a lot of 1MPF’s growth to their unique methodology; ‘there’s really nothing like 1MPF. We are half play festival, half community-engaged convening.’”
This year, FIU Theatre Department Adjunct Professor and alumnus, Ivan Lopez, submitted two plays, Just Hit Send and Our Own Magic and was honored to have both submissions selected for the festival. Ivan directed Our Own Magic with a cast of all FIU alumni and current students: Melissa Ann Hubicsak (Class of ’09), Michelle L. Antelo (Class of ’12), Melissa Almaguer (Class of ’06), Danny Leonard (BFA Performance in progress) and Zack Myers (BFA Performance in progress). He had a great time collaborating with his FIU family. “It was fun working with this group. We really are like a family sharing the same terminology, familiarity and sense of spirit. I appreciate the effort they put in and the talent they brought to the play.” Ivan’s play focused around the the Miami Heat’s loss of Lebron James and the Heat fans realizing that Dwyane Wade is a superstar player!
Everyone in Ivan’s ‘clump’ had a superb experience and some shared their positive feedback.
Melissa Almaguar said “my experience with the One-Minute Play Festival was so positive! It was so nice to work with such a friendly and talented group of artists, in such a beautiful and cultural location. There were so many FIU students and alumni, I felt like I was part of this bigger FIU family that went beyond my time there and one that continues to grow. I loved it.”
Michelle L. Antelo concurred with her teammate’s views. “Since I graduated from FIU’s Theatre Department, I have had the pleasure of being embraced by Miami’s artistic community. Thankfully, students that graduated before me have made major contributions to the city’s talent and have created a wonderful reputation for those of us who’ve followed. I love having the opportunity to work alongside alumni as well as students currently in the department. It reminds me of the wonderful time I spent learning at FIU. I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done and are continuing to do. I must say, it felt great to have so many panthers in the group!”
It is also noteworthy that other FIU Theatre alums and students participated in this year’s One-Minute Play Festival.
As usual, the Department of Theatre is thrilled to see our students participating in community initiatives. Keep up the hard work!
