The annual Ten by Teens production once again offered audiences a showcase of 10-minute, student-written, directed, and acted plays. However, this year’s rendition brought a unique twist by including revival works written by former students.

“[Since] it’s my last year, I want to reflect back on some of the highlights,” Tens By Teens creator and sponsor Lawrence Keller said. “I chose about 20 or so old plays and had my [student] directors read them aloud and then choose which ones to do stage readings of.”

While most plays are written by students who take the playwriting class, anyone was welcome to send in submissions, Keller, who retires at the end of the school year, said. Ultimately, a total of 22 plays were performed, including 11 revivals. 

“It’s a writers showcase more than it’s a directing or acting showcase, so you really want to get the writer’s original vision,” director, actor, and playwright Grace Simmon ‘24 said. “It’s definitely harder with a revival because you can’t just go to the author.”

In general, Tens by Teens stands out from any other LT theater production because of its high level of student involvement, Simmon said.

“I’ve had a lot of experiences acting, but I really wanted to connect with the theater in a different way by directing,” director and actor, Abby Grech ‘25 said. “It’s a really cool experience to get to work alongside your peers in a different way than you have before.”

In addition to the traditional Tens by Teens production in the PAC from Apr. 17 – Apr. 19, students also performed a 24-hour play, Grech said. A 24-hour play is one written, casted, rehearsed and performed all within a single day. 

On the night of April 19, five writers received a prompt and had the night to craft a 10-minute long play, Grech said. The next morning directors came in and casted the play before spending the rest of the day rehearsing, with a final performance on the night of April 20.

“I think we try to do our best as adults to choose plays that will engage students,” Keller said. “But, when a student writes a play I think there’s automatically a connection because that student is writing it for other high school students.”

The program, which has run for over a decade, provides students with the unique opportunity to experience nearly every angle of a theater production, Grech said. 

“When you become a teacher they often talk about your philosophy of education,” Keller said. “I’ve finally honed it down to: I want students to find their voice and this is another way for students to express themselves.”