Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. Names Selections For Annual Student Playwright Festival

Plays by local high-school seniors, Obiajulu Mgbechi, Delilah Romero, and Thomas Fernandes have been chosen by Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. (DDTCo.) as selections for its sixth annual Student Playwright Festival. Each playwright is awarded a $500 scholarship and is paired with a Houston-based playwright as a mentor to fine-tune the plays and prepare them for production. The students will be guests of honor as their plays are performed at the MATCH – Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston on June 5, 2024.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS

Obiajulu Mgbechi, a senior at Obra D. Tompkins High School, presents her play Tech Savvy in which teenage students face down inequality and privilege through participation in a city-wide app design competition. Mgbechi will be mentored by playwright, Crystal Rae, best known to Houston audiences as the author of Tied. Tech Savvy will be directed by Jeff Merriman, whose directorial credits include Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol, Almost, Maine, and Ann.

Delilah Romero is a senior at Spring High School. She presents Ephemeral, a story about Iris who is struggling to have a relationship with her verbally abusive father while trying to understand her overly optimistic mother. Romero is being mentored by author and playwright, Doug Williams, best known to Houston and DDTCo. audiences as co-author of The Boundary. Ephemeral will be directed by Curtis Barber who recently directed the DDTCo. productions of The Revolutionists, Misery, and The Birds.

Thomas Fernandes, a senior at Klein Oak High School, debuts his play The Butler Didn't Do It This Time (Trust Me). When the friend of two roommates is found murdered, a suspicious person appears in their apartment claiming to be a detective. If they want to find the real killer (and make it out alive), they may just have to trust him. Fernandes is mentored by Gwen Flager, author of Shakin' the Blue Flamingo produced by DDTCo. in 2022. The Butler Didn't Do It This Time (Trust Me) is directed by Jessica Jaye, whose Houston area directorial credits include Fame, Just Like Family, and Measure of a Man.

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