Pegasus Theatre's 29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL Kicks Off 1/1

Pegasus Theatre Chicago shines the spotlight on the next generation of authors at its 29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL, featuring three world premiere works written by Chicago high school students and staged in a professional production. This year's festival will play January 1 - 23, 2016 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.PegasusTheatreChicago.org or by calling Ovation Tickets at (866) 811-4111. The press opening is Monday, January 4 at 7 pm.

The YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL is a citywide playwriting competition that gives voice to Chicago high schoolers by teaching them to craft one-act plays. The winning teens join with professional directors and actors to workshop and stage their scripts as part of Pegasus Theatre Chicago's main stage season. The second oldest such festival in the country, the competition enhances language arts, encourages independent, high-level thinking and strong personal values and influences career development for area teens.

The 2015 competition, which encouraged students to explore the theme of "expectations," received 500 submissions. This year's winners include Myka Buck of Kenwood Academy (Our Little Secret), Brian Hayes of Taft High School (The Adventures of FeRB) and Keauna Pierce of Lane Tech High School (A Cup of Souls and One Grim Reaper, Please).

The 29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL will feature Chris Acevedo, Chris Cinereski, Will Kiley, Shadana Patterson, Erica Pezza, Danielle Rennalls, Brenann Stacker and Eric Walter.

The 29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL Line-Up:

OUR LITTLE SECRET

By Myka Buck (Kenwood Academy)

Directed by Lavina Jadhwani

A high school senior, Tommy lives with her single, working mom. As senior prom excitement builds, Tommy struggles with coming out to her conservative mother.

THE ADVENTURES OF FeRB

By Brian Hayes (Taft High School)
Directed by Jason Fleece

It is the first day of school and FeRb is more excited than ever. He is an incoming freshmen and looking to finally make friends and find his true social group - until he meets Bradly, the social king of high school.

A CUP OF SOULS AND ONE GRIM REAPER, PLEASE

By Keauna Pierce (Lane Tech High School)

Directed by Ilesa Duncan

The new grim reaper, Dave, doesn't like doing his job of collecting souls and dreams of traveling the world. However, his bosses have other things in mind. Does Dave get to make his dream come true - or does his view of his job change?

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: 29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Location: Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago (theatre entrance around corner at Aberdeen and May Streets).

Dates: Previews: Friday, January 1 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, January 2 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, January 3 at 3 pm.

Press Opening: Monday, January 4 at 7 pm

Regular run: Friday, January 8 - Saturday, January 23, 2016

Curtain Times: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Please note: there will be an added performance on Sunday, January 17 at 3 pm.

Tickets: $30. Seniors $25; students $18. Tickets are currently available at www.PegasusTheatreChicago.org or by calling Ovation Tickets at (866) 811-4111. Teachers can book weekday matinees by calling (773) 878-8864.

About the Directors

Ilesa Duncan recent directing work includes Nambi E. Kelley's world premiere For Her as a Piano for Pegasus Theatre at Chicago Dramatists, Steve Simoncic's Broken Fences at 16th Street Theater (co-directed with Ann Filmer), BTAA award-winning Blacula: Young, Black and Undead at Pegasus Theatre and The Nativity at Congo Square. Also at Pegasus: If You Split a Second, In the Continuum and the Jeff Recommended productions of The Gimmick, Shape of a Girl and Tick, Tick... Boom! Locally, Duncan has worked with Rivendell, Writers Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Step Up Productions, Lifeline, Chicago Dramatists, Victory Gardens and The Goodman. Nationally, she has worked with The Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage, Contemporary American Theatre Company and Lincoln Center (Directors Lab) in New York. Ilesa is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab and a NEA/TCG Directing Fellow. She serves as Pegasus Theatre's Producing Artistic Director and is an Associate Artist with Chicago Dramatists, where she serves as Education and Community Engagement Director.

Jason Fleece is the Associate Artistic Director of Stage Left Theatre, where he will be directing the Chicago Premiere of The Body of an American by Dan O'Brien in May. Jason holds an MFA in Directing from the Theatre School at DePaul University.

Lavina Jadhwani previously directed Fears for Fairytales for Pegasus' 27th Young Playrights Festival. She is an Artistic Associate at Silk Road Rising (Yellow Dress, Ching Chong Chinaman, after all the terrible things I do) and Oak Park Festival Theatre (Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Two Gentlemen of Verona). She is also the Casting Director at Lifeline Theatre. Lavina has received the O'Neill/NNPN National Directors Fellowship, Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Phil Killian Directing Fellowship, the Drama League's Classical Directing Fellowship, an SDCF Observership, an Illinois Board of Higher Education Fellowship, and an LMDA Residency Award. She was named Time Out Chicago's "Best Next Generation Stage Director" in 2013. BFA: Carnegie Mellon School of Drama/MFA: The Theatre School at DePaul University.

About Pegasus Theatre Chicago

Pegasus Theatre Chicago has been a mainstay in the Chicago theater community for nearly 36 years. Its recently rebranded mission is to produce boldly imaginative theatre, champion new and authentic voices and illuminate the human journey. It adheres to the core values of community engagement, social relevance, boldness, adventure and excellence.

Pegasus Theatre is partially supported by grants from the MacArthur Fund at Richard Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Polk Bros. Foundation, the Seabury Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the City of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel Mayor/DCASE (Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), Chicago Community Trust and Bloomberg Philanthropies

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