Touchstone's Young Playwrights' Festival Celebrates Student Artists for Nineteenth Year

Touchstone Theatre will present the nineteenth year of its acclaimed Young Playwrights' Festival. This showcase of short plays written by local elementary and middle school students takes place on Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 3pm.

Presented in partnership with the Bethlehem Area School District, for the first time ever the Festival will take place in one of the district's own venues: the modern 800-seat theatre inside Northeast Middle School, located at 1170 Fernwood Street in Bethlehem.

Young Playwrights' Lab is an eight-week arts and literacy residency using theatre to provide a platform for creative self-expression and improve student attitudes toward writing. Through improvisation, writing exercises, and collaborative critique, each student writes an original one-act play to be considered for performance in the annual Young Playwrights' Festival. While the plays often include light-hearted elements like talking animals, space aliens, and imaginary worlds, they also explore universal themes of love, resilience, importance of family, and bravery in the face of adversity – a rich indicator of the wide variety and depth of their imaginings.

Over 134 plays were submitted from this year's programs with four exceptional scripts chosen as Finalists for fully-staged production in the Festival; two partially-produced Semi-Finalists; and six Runners-Up, each with a brief scene or dialogue performed onstage. All plays and scenes will be directed by a member of Touchstone's core Ensemble and performed by Touchstone actors, community performers, and students from area schools. 

FINALISTS

The Desperate Kitty by Adalee Amann of Freemansburg Elementary, directed by Samantha Beedle. A child discovers the consequences of rude behavior, and finds a way to go back and fix it.

The Pirate Hunt by Valentina Navarro of James Buchanan Elementary, directed by Christopher Shorr. Captain Blackbeard and his motley crew attempt to capture the Octopus Leader for gold and silver. 

The Creature Troubles by Brielle Dennis of Governor Wolf Elementary, directed by Matt Prideaux. A worm and a caterpillar try to get to California by boarding an airplane. 

Tad Tales by Allison Coyle of Lincoln Elementary, directed by Mary Wright. A sweet story about not being afraid of those that are different than us (even when they may seem a bit scary!).

SEMI-FINALISTS

Best Birthday Ever! by Martina Moreno of Farmersville Elementary, and The Magical Pencil by Mac Parker of Lincoln Elementary.

RUNNERS-UP

The Nurse by Jadiel Moronata-Pena of Casa Guadalupe, The Zig-Zag Star Adventure by Jaslene Martinez of Donegan Elementary, Cooked! by Anna Stewart of Spring Garden Elementary, The Eclipseby Elianni Benetiz and Luna Rivas of Nitschmann Middle School, Teresa and Poppy by Emi Monfre of Fountain Hill Elementary, and The Crazy Craziest West by Vincent David Hernandez of Marvine Elementary.

In addition to bringing professional actors, community members, and young performers together onstage, Touchstone is delighted to share that this year's Festival will feature some very special guests including Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds and longtime local folk and children's musician Dave Fry, both of whom will make appearances as characters in two of the finalists' plays.

"The combination of the kids' imaginations and Touchstone's own creates a one-of-a-kind evening of theatre. We invite everyone to celebrate with us the whimsy, wit, and wisdom of our youth,” says Mary Wright, Touchstone's Education Director.  "The Young Playwrights' Festival gives the Lehigh Valley a rare opportunity: the chance to look deep into the hearts and minds of our youngest artists."

The 19th Annual Young Playwrights' Festival takes place on Sunday, May 19, 2024 at Northeast Middle School Theater located at 1170 Fernwood Street in Bethlehem; doors open at 2:30pm, show starts at 3pm. Festival tickets are $15. Advance tickets may be purchased at 610-867-1689 or online at touchstone.org.  

ABOUT TOUCHSTONE:

Celebrating over forty years, Touchstone Theatre produces and presents original productions and works to foster collaboration on a local and national level through educational and youth empowerment programs and by using theatre as a community-building tool. Visit us at touchstone.org.

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