3 Hours, 10 Minutes

3 Hours, 10 Minutes

This 20-minute, two-handed debuted at the Hamilton Fringe Festival in July 25, playing in the Mini Bar Series at the Ringside theatre. It was supported generously by Allan Meyer and Sean Pugliese of Wickham Investments/Wellington-Altus; Dundas Valley School of Art; and Centre[3] Studio. It was awarded Best in Venue for the festival’s Mini Bar Series (plays of under 20 minutes in length).

In “3 Hours, 10 Minutes,” a man and a woman, strangers, meet in an art gallery while sitting before a painting. The man has gotten it into his head that he needs to be in a particular gallery, in front of a particular painting, to find something inside himself. The woman, curious, begins to discover that she too is benefiting from engagement with the art. They connect, overcome a brief misunderstanding and, together, learn not just to look but to see, not just to hear but to listen. Art can have that effect on people.

After its run at the Fringe, “3 Hours, 10 Minutes” was remounted at the Art Gallery of Hamilton as part of its art+music+food festival in November 2025 where the play was shot under the direction of SAIIXNT (Saint Christopher Bailey) of Motion 20 in Toronto.

As part of this shoot, Beauchemin interviewed the two actors, Melissa Murray-Mutch and Mark Gamache; Jeffery Donaldson, a professor of English at McMaster and the author of “Momento: On Standing in Front of Art”; Dr. Joyce Zazulak of McMaster Family Medicine and a professor emeritus in the McMaster University department of family medicine, and Nicole Knibb, a senior educator of academic and professional engagement in the McMaster Museum of Art and an assistant clinical professor of family medicine at McMaster. (Together, the two founded and run “The Art of Seeing” program, which introduces medical residents to the power of observation through art.)

After viewing the play, AGH audience members were invited to see the painting at the centre of the characters’ attention: Lawren Harris’s “Grey Day in Town” (oil on canvas, 1923/1930), part of the gallery’s permanent collection. The crew caught the audience’s engagement with the painting and subsequently interviewed a half-dozen people about their impressions. Off camera, the audience members gathered to talk about the play, the painting, and the dialogue we have with art when we’re viewing it.

About the cast:

Mark Gamache (Man) is an actor excited to star in his first production, “3 Hours, 10 Minutes.”Introduced to acting by Paula Grove at Theatre Aquarius, Mark is grateful to Raymond for the opportunity to bring his words to life and to Melissa for the chance to learn from an accomplished artist and educator. 

Melissa Murray-Mutch (Woman) is an actor, producer, playwright and arts educator. Theatre work includes: “Fertility Project” with Light Echo Theatre and “Lost Lake” (Gritty City Theatre Co./Hamilton Fringe). Melissa created the collective “The Canadian Slavery Project” examining lives of enslaved people in Canada theatrically. Her film and TV projects include “Real 100 Percent True Love,” “Late Blooming,” “Cross,” and “Bike” by Terrence Odette. As an emerging playwright, Melissa is a co-founder and artistic director of Gritty City Theatre.

REVIEWS

The vibe of 3 Hours, 10 Minutes is timely. 

This is a show that is extremely relevant to many issues that are present in our current society. An anonymous man is looking at a painting, facing the audience, when an anonymous woman comes up to him and begins a discussion about the painting. The man has been looking at the painting for the past 3 hours, after reading an article that states that keeping your attention on one thing, for even 10 minutes, can be life-changing. Immediately, the show tackles the prominent issue of our attention spans and how much they have gotten shorter since the rise of social media and technology. 

The show was extremely nuanced, and the chemistry between the characters was captivating. Their dialogue felt very intricate and really made me think. For example, the characters discussed the way everyone has different interpretations of art, which relates to how everyone sees the world differently and notices different details depending on who you are. 

At one point in the show, the man starts studying the woman the way he has been studying the painting. This was a really beautiful moment showing that there is so much to discover in a human, and because humans also have many details and imperfections, we are like art.

Another element that enhances the experience is the way the venue becomes an art gallery. The audience is able to view the piece of art described in the show before or after the performance. This immersive element will be even more prominent when the show is presented at the AGH this November.

3 Hours, 10 Minutes was a beautiful story that is very timely and relevant for our world today and is a show that is worth watching to spark discussion and deep thought about humans, art, and life. As said in the show, “It really is quite something.”

— Mina Saeed, TheVibeHamilton.com

Sometimes taking a moment to appreciate the simplicity of a good thing can be overlooked; these days, often in the rush to look at the next thing, and the next, and so on down social media timelines that can eat through our lives if we let them. But when we stop to observe and to stretch those muscles that flex our attention span, we may be amazed at what we find — whether a painting or a human face in front of us. This, in part, is what Raymond Beauchemin’s play “3 Hours, 10 Minutes” asks us to do.

After entering the Ringside space, the audience is transported to a gallery where Mark Gamache’s stoic “art appreciator” intently absorbs a painting as part of a challenge to focus on something other than technology for 10 minutes. Moments later he is joined by Melissa Murray-Mutch’s “somewhat more casual art appreciator.” The pair contemplate what they see in front of them, confronting questions about how technology is shaping our attention spans, our view of self and each other, and how we see the world around us. Gamache and Murray-Mutch gracefully dance us toward a resolution that reminds us that the good things in life are often simple.
— Anthony Perri, in Hammer Monthly magazine

What are we really missing when we spend all of our time looking at one screen or another? Playwright, Raymond Beauchemin, tackles that question in 3 Hours 10 Minutes starring Melissa Murray-Mutch and Mark Gamache.

The play opens with a man sitting alone on a bench in a gallery looking at “a painting,” — but actually staring out towards the audience. He’s joined by a woman who walks over after noticing the intensity and time the man has invested in studying this one painting. And, so their conversation begins.

Prompted by a challenge to focus on one thing — anything other than technology — for ten minutes, this fellow has been observing the painting for three hours. But does he really see it and all of its intricate details? Apparently not and it annoys him to no end that this woman who has just wandered over immediately spots details that he completely overlooked.

One wonders is he jealous because she hasn’t spent as much time with the painting as he has? Is it because she’s a woman? Or, is his insecurity showing? Undaunted, the woman continues to share her observations and interpretations which encourages him to share as well. Together they turn what initially appeared to be a dark, gloomy and hopeless scene into the hopeful start of a brand new day filled with possibility. Including the possibility of a brand new tech-free relationship.

— Doreen Nicoll, Small Change substack newsletter

Playwright Raymond Beauchemin’s 3 Hours, 10 Minutes is a subtle, quiet, contemplative play. A two-hander with Melissa Murray-Mutch and Mark Gamache, this short play asks some deep questions about how technology is shaping society and its individuals, their attention spans and ability to notice and connect with the world around them. Situated in an art gallery as indicated by a bench, velvet rope, and some understated artworks on the wall, the pair of actors embark on a conversation inspired by the length of time Gamache has spent looking at a single work of art. It’s a pleasure to watch the expressive qualities of Murray-Mutch’s face, particularly as she studies an earnest Gamache from a vantage point behind him. 3 Hours, 10 Minutes asks us to slow down and observe as well, for a short time, the nature of art, attention, connection, and of ourselves. I must applaud Murray-Mutch as she performs in not one but two productions at this Fringe, the other being The Fruits that Rot in our Bellies.

– Allison M. Jones, Hamilton City magazine

PREVIEW

Synopsis: Winner of the 2025 Best in Series at the Hamilton Fringe Festival, this must-see play is inspired by one of AGH’s most beloved collection works, Lawren Harris’s Grey Day in Town (1923/1930). In this intimate setting, a shared moment in front of a painting becomes something more — an invitation to reflect, connect, and consider the quiet power of fleeting encounters. At its heart, the performance asks: can a brief experience, sparked by art, carry meaning beyond the gallery walls? The performance will be followed by a conversation with the creative team.”

From playwright Ray Beauchemin: “In addition to seeing the play 3 Hours, 10 Minutes, audience members at the Art Gallery of Hamilton will have the opportunity to sit in front of the Lawren Harris painting Grey Day in Town, much like the characters in the play do. Guests will examine the painting for five minutes, much like the two characters do, and then return to the play venue, the Fisher gallery, to talk about the experience. Another exciting thing about the AGH performance … is that we’re shooting a documentary. Filmmaker Saint Chris Bailey, of Motion 20, is at the helm of this part of the project. 

“It’s been a revelation to see how people connect to the play, which maybe shouldn’t be a surprise at all. We all crave connection, which is the play’s core message,” says Beauchemin. “In this particular case, the connection is through visual art, so it’s only natural that the AGH was willing to host a remounting of 3 Hours, 10 Minutes after its successful run at the 2025 Hamilton Fringe. One of the play’s partners this past summer was Dundas Valley School of Art, where we hope to mount the play again. More on that later!”

Allison M. Jones, Hamilton City magazine, Nov. 22, 2025