10-Minute Play Festival
April 24 – 27, 2025
Hattiloo Theatre’s 10-Minute Play Festival is a short form theater event with all of the plays performed in its Black Box theatre. Each play is ten minutes or less and features some of Shelby County’s best theater talent – writers, actors, directors and crew! The Festival is an opportunity for artists to create unique stories about the Black experience that entertain and exhilarate audiences!
Coming Soon:
- Auditions: Save the date! Auditions for the Black 10-Minute Play Festival will be held on March 22nd at 10:00 AM at Hattiloo Theatre. More information will follow.
- Festival Schedule and Tickets: Stay tuned! The full festival schedule and ticketing information will be available soon.
2025 Festival Selections: The Stories We’ll Tell
Lele Uku by Levi Frazier, Jr.
The year is 2041. A former world-class athlete from Memphis has fallen on hard times and is now a squatter in a blues museum where he comes out at night to converse with a hologram of famous blues artist, Taj Mahal, his only friend.
Levi Frazier, Jr. is a playwright, author, actor, director, producer, and educator with a distinguished career in the arts. After a 15-year career at Southwest Tennessee Community College, where he served as Associate Professor and Theatre Manager, he retired in 2021 and now dedicates his time to the Beale Street Repertory Company and Blues City Cultural Center, which he co-founded and where he serves as Artistic Director. A prolific playwright, Frazier has penned over fifty plays, including “A Helping Hand,” “Big Ten, You’re Different,” “For Our Children,” “Ramesses the Great,” “A Sad State of Affairs,” and “Down on Beale Street.” “Down on Beale Street,” a musical, enjoyed a successful off-Broadway run at the Richard Allen Center in New York. His work has been produced nationally in major theatrical markets and internationally, including at the Sorbonne in Paris, France.
Frazier’s play “When it Rains” garnered numerous accolades, including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Southern Writers Project Award, first-place writing honors at the Association for Theatre of Higher Education National Conference, and an Ostrander Award for Best Original Play. As a screenwriter, he was a semi-finalist for several prestigious awards, including the American Film Institute’s Summer Situation Comedy Workshop and the Writers Network Screenplay and Fiction Competition. Beyond playwriting and screenwriting, Frazier is the author of four children’s books: “Tickle the Rain,” “I Love You So Much,” “The Spools Move In,” and “Man Up!” His short stories and essays have appeared in various anthologies and publications. Adding to his diverse talents, Frazier has also appeared in films such as “Walking Tall II,” “The Firm,” and “The Chamber.” He holds degrees from Rhodes College and the University of Memphis.
Peekin’ by Velvet Gunn
Peekin’ is a gripping tale about a young woman struggling to move forward after a devastating loss. The story delves into the complexities of family, the weight of grief, and the indomitable human spirit. Set in a house with Great Aunt Jean and younger sister Tamyra, Cameron fights to find redemption, solace, and normalcy within her new realities.
Velvet Gunn is a Chicago native and multifaceted performing artist with a rich musical and theatrical background. True to her name, Velvet’s voice is both smooth and sultry, yet fearless in its delivery—captivating audiences with every performance. Inspired by legends such as Nancy Wilson, Jill Scott, Rachelle Ferrell, and Sarah Vaughan, she blends soulful artistry with an undeniable stage presence that keeps audiences engaged and eager for more.
A graduate of Lane College with a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance, Velvet is the Founder and Managing Director of A Gunn Show Productions (AGSP)—a community arts organization dedicated to fostering artistic expression and cultural enrichment. Through AGSP, she curates impactful arts programs, events, and initiatives designed to nurture artists and strengthen communities.
Driven by compassion, creativity, and purpose, Velvet brings her expertise as a creative artist, writer, and producer to every project she touches. Whether performing, curating an event, or advising fine arts programs, her mission is to execute with excellence—creating transformative experiences that leave lasting impressions on audiences, collaborators, and the communities she serves.
Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band Saved This Jewish Lesbian by Sarah Ellin Siegel
Have you ever wondered who else listened to your favorite DJ? People like you, right? You might be surprised. This piece helps you get to know a Jewish lesbian Memphian through a range of personal stories connected to Black radio songs she heard when she needed music most.
Sarah Ellin Siegel spent the 30 years of her IBM career in a range of roles, including managing ibm.com Creative Services; co-founding the company’s LGBTQ business development mission in 2001; and managing IBM Learning Design. After retiring five years ago, Sarah, her wife Pat, and their two cats, moved from Montclair, New Jersey to Memphis, Tennessee. Since then, as a Voices of the South Writers’ Workshop member, Sarah has written a full-length play; three 10-minute plays; and 33 reimagined Psalms, all centering Jewish lesbians. Sarah is excited that her newest 10-minute play, Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band Saved This Jewish Lesbian, joins the 2025 winners of Hattiloo Theatre’s 10 Minute Play Black Theatre Festival Competition, and that the World Premiere of her full-length play, Raising Ilana’s Mother, is being produced by Voices of the South at TheatreSouth, May 1-4, 2025. Sarah is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Vindication by Dabrell Thompson
Authorities are summoned to a home for an urgent issue involving a legendary black police chief. A transformative dialogue between the lieutenant and the suspect uncovers a profound, hidden truth.
Dabrell Thompson is a dynamic actor, poet, and rapper with a passion for storytelling across various artistic platforms. Based in Memphis, TN, Dabrell has honed his craft through performances with 24-Hour Plays, Overflow Stage Productions, Emerald Theatre, Actors Renaissance Theatre, and Three Diamond Productions. As an ensemble member of Playback Memphis Improv Theatre, he brings stories to life through interactive and engaging performances.
In addition to his work in theatre, Dabrell has appeared in multiple short films, including the award-winning Amorphous for Indie Memphis. His dedication to the craft has earned him a nomination for the prestigious Ostrander Award for Best Featured Performer. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing at Full Sail University, Dabrell continues to refine his skills in storytelling and performance, striving to make a lasting impact in the entertainment industry.
Cutting Corners by Danica Wilks
Set in North Memphis, post Covid 2020s, the owner of a black owned corner store faces threats of gentrification, endures financial hardships and feelings of the obligation to uphold his father’s legacy and keep something for the beloved neighborhood.
Danica Wilks is a proud Native Memphian with roots in the Vollintine Evergreen Historic District. As a free-spirited creative and Southern storyteller, her works include community journalism, facilitating, spoken word, poetry, essays and research. She is a community advocate whose passions embody building community, economic justice, environmental justice and womanism. Danica is a graduate of the University of Memphis, with certificates in DEI and community organizing.
She loves telling stories and amplifying the voices of everyday folk in nuanced ways. She has trained under the Memphis Public Library’s “From The Page to The Stage’ and Midnight and Indigo’s “Playwriting As Activism for Black Women Writers.” Danica is a lover of all things black arts, wanderlust, black joy and culture. She is beyond thrilled that Hattiloo theatre, Memphis’ only black repertory theatre of whose work she’s admired for years is bringing “Cutting Corners” to the stage.
Honorable Mention
Elderberry by Najwa Watson
Black history, like the elderberry, can be potent and complex. Raw and untended, its stories can be difficult, even toxic. But with careful handling and a touch of sweetness, they become a source of healing and strength. This story of eight leaders, like the elderberry itself, should be used with intention and care.
Najwa Watson is a multifaceted creative—artist, actress, poet, dancer, singer, teacher, and writer—from Memphis, Tennessee. Making her playwriting debut, she gives honor and thanks to God for the gift of creation and for the connections that inspired the characters in this work.
Since the age of five, Najwa has found healing and transformation through creative expression. Elderberry was born from this journey, and it is her prayer that this piece helps others heal, reveal, revisit, evolve, and speak their truths.
She is grateful to share this moment and extends special appreciation to her high school theatre teacher, Ms. Paulette Regan, who first challenged her to craft a monologue and tell a story. Najwa is currently 30 years old, and she continues to share her gifts with Hattiloo and through her service to programming for Hattiloo youth.
