WIESBADEN, Germany – U.S. Army Installation Management Command – Europe’s Army Entertainment will present the 2020 One-act Play Festival and YouthFest Oct. 9-11 at KMC Onstage on Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern.According to Dane Winters, this will be a unique year for the annual theater festival.“This is the 25 anniversary of the Army One Act Play Festival, making it one of the longest running community theatre festivals,” said Dane Winters, IMCOM E Entertainment program manager.The annual festival encourages individual and group excellence at U.S. Army Europe community theater programs, while enhancing participants’ resiliency and readiness through educational opportunities, positive and supportive recreational activities and events, and a sense of family, according to Winters.Producing the theatre festival with the necessary COVID-19 restrictions is a challenge worth the effort, he said.“We will be following all protection measures, including restricted and physically distanced seating, rehearsing and performing. Our biggest concern is the safety of our participants, staff and audience. The performers and crews will be wearing masks which makes putting on a show or participating in workshops a challenge,” he said.The 2020 Festival will be unique in one other aspect.“We are pleased to add a new festival for youth, by including the first annual US Army Entertainment YouthFest,” he said. “That competition, presented in conjunction with the One Act Play Festival, will feature shows selected, produced, directed and performed by youth from our garrison Entertainment programs.”The top youth show, as selected by a panel of professional judges, will have the opportunity to compete in next year’s American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) National YouthFest.In 2019, the USAG Ansbach Terrace Playhouse produced a youth show called “This Side of Heaven.” That production, representing the U.S. Army and Army Entertainment, participated in the 2019 AACT National YouthFest in Gettysburg, Pa., earning several awards and garnering national attention.“Kids from our community selected and fully produced the show on their own,” said Vikki Hanrahan, USAG Ansbach Entertainment Director. “At the national festival, the kids took several top awards for acting and directing and the show was voted the audience favorite youth production.”Along with the One Act Play and Youth Festivals, the weekend will include several theatre skills workshops for adults and youth including acting, directing, sound design and costume design.All events are free and open to the public.“We ask everyone be prepared to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and keep in mind, the number of seats are limited,” Winters added.More information including the festival schedule is available at www.ArmyEuropeEntertainment.com or https://www.armymwr.com/ArmyEuropeEntertainment/2020-us-army-imcom-europe-one-act-play-festival.