UNT theatre students got the chance to present their talents in a professional venue when six short plays they wrote, directed and performed were presented at the Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas this spring. The students prepared their 10-minute plays in a playwriting class taught by Andrew B. Harris and a directing class taught by Marjorie Hayes.

"Before this, all of the original plays written by my students were done only on campus at the end of the semester," Harris says, thanking faculty member Sally Vahle, one of the founding members of Kitchen Dog Theater, for the idea of presenting the plays in Dallas.

After the free performances, the artistic directors of Kitchen Dog Theater — Tina Parker and Christopher Carlos — participated in a discussion of the plays. Eleven more student plays were presented on campus.

"Having your play on its feet can be a wonderful experience for a young playwright," Harris says. "It's an excellent laboratory to encourage a writer's future development."