Masque & Triangle (M&T) put on their third annual 15 Minute Fest, a collection of short plays directed and performed by Colgate University students. This year’s performance took place during Family Weekend on Saturday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 2, attracting a larger and more diverse audience than usual. 

Senior Tanner Harmon has organized this event since his sophomore year and has been able to personally experience the evolution of the production. 

“Each year, the event has grown in scope and scale — this year’s 15 Minute Fest features student-written plays for the first time,” Harmon said. “For my piece this year, I wrote an existentialist comedy titled ‘Halfway to Nowhere,’ and [first-year] Antonius Robello wrote and directed his supernatural drama, ‘Fate.’”

On Saturday’s performance, families of the creative team and of the actors filled the Edge Café in Bryan Complex. For the first time in three years, there were more people watching than there were seats available. This did not stop audience members from thoroughly enjoying the student-run show. In fact, the setting of the show enhanced the experience for some audience members, such as senior Corrigan Peters. 

“It’s awesome to see how creative our students are, whether through their performance or their writing or their directing,” Peters said. “It’s a pretty small stage and intimate feeling for the audience. Actors are frequently moving through and around the audience and making eye contact with the members of the audience. Despite the small setup, the sound and lighting are pretty advanced and the minimal set design still feels immersive.”

The event is unique from traditional theater performances. Part of what makes 15 Minute Fest so perfect for college students is that each play is 15 minutes or less, and the event takes no longer than an hour. This short structure makes it easy for students to show up and support their friends without sacrificing too much time or falling behind on their other commitments and it provides the perfect opportunity for busy yet theatrically-driven students to be involved with theater in college.

“It’s a really cool production because it’s able to attract actors and directors from a wide range of backgrounds because it’s a relatively small commitment,” Peters said. “It was really a performance by students and for students and it makes me feel very pleased with the state of student theater and the arts in general at Colgate.”

Senior Maddy Vuignier has been the technical director for all three 15 Minute Fests and has found this show to offer a distinctive learning experience for her as an aspiring technical director. Vuignier is used to working with theater professionals in University Theater and at her internships outside of Colgate.

“I get to work with new up-and-coming directors trying out directing for the first time,” Vuignier said. “I get to be their first interaction with a technical team and I hope to make it as welcoming as I can. It is interesting for me to see their unadulterated thoughts on theater and how they communicate as directors.”

Moving forward, the main challenge for Harmon is finding somebody to inherit the annual performance.

“15 Minute Fest has been one of my favorite things to see develop out of M&T,” junior Gabriel Angtuaco said. “It’s so amazing to see so many people get the chance to take the stage and experiment with theater. It’s always an honor to work with others in this capacity, and I want to make sure this event always has a home for students on campus.”

With willing participants and enthusiastic audiences, it seems that 15 Minute Fest won’t be going away anytime soon.