VICENZA, Italy -- From October 5-7, 2018, members of the Vicenza Soldiers' Theatre hit the road and went to the 2018 IMCOM-Europe One Act Plays Competition, competing with the comedy short "The Universal Language."
The 2018 IMCOM-Europe One Act Plays Competition takes place in Kaiserslautern, Germany, annually. This year the U.S. Army Garrison Italy theater's entry placed 3rd overall, with nominations in each category.
With Army installations from throughout Europe with 11 different shows, Jerry Brees, Entertainment Director here, considers that a success.
"I was thrilled; it was a very tough competition," said Brees. "We had a nomination for best actor, best actress, and best stage manager, which is really unusual because I think we were the only one where everybody was nominated for an award."
The competition not only provides competition for Soldiers' theatre throughout Europe, but also presents valuable training opportunities for participants involved.
"The biggest benefit of the festival is that it is a training opportunity," said Brees. "There are a lot of workshops. ... It's so nice to get some theater training which we don't normally get in our small garrisons."
With over 70 people participating in this competition, it is a great networking opportunity, said Brees.
"It's a chance to see that there are a lot of theater people out there and have a chance to learn from each other, as well as from the theater professionals," said Brees.
Not only are there theater professionals adjudicating the plays, but there is also one "showcase" play performed by notable professionals in the theater community. The IMCOM-Europe One Act Plays Competition is part of a more substantial Army wide national competition, which takes place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, later this year.
"The Universal Language" was part of a greater production at the theater called "Spontaneous Laughter," a series of adult comedy shorts. "[Spontaneous Laughter] is really popular with the community because each act is an individual piece," said Brees. "We tie them together with the common theme that they're all comedies, but each one is very, very different."
Having many short plays in one production enables a larger cast, and in turn, increases community involvement, said Brees.
Lead actor in "The Universal Language," Sgt. Martin Sinlao, Vicenza Health Clinic, describes community theater. "There's a very cool feeling about community theater; it's not about you, it's about your community," he said.
While the "Spontaneous Laughter" series of adult comedy shorts provides community involvement and the IMCOM-Europe One Act Plays Competition provides valuable training opportunities, Sinlao explains the importance of making people laugh.
"Community theater, the cool thing about it is, you'll stumble upon people who just come together to do it on the smaller scale, and you get the more artistic side of it which is Theater," said Sinlao. "You can really express emotions or make people feel something."
For up-to date information on the Soldiers' Theatre, visit their webpage at https://italy.armymwr.com/programs/soldiers-theatre.
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