Young Playwrights' Festival Celebration

Young Playwrights' Festival Celebration

At Florida Studio Theatre

Saturday, May 19

On Saturday, May 19^th, Florida Studio Theatre will celebrate the achievements of nearly 200 winning playwrights with the Young Playwrights' Festival Day. Winners of the 2007 Young Playwrights' Festival, and their families, will gather at Florida Studio Theatre's downtown campus to see their plays and celebrate. The playwrights will get the opportunity to see their winning plays performed in productions of UNDER SIX, UNDER SIX TOO and SEVEN UP. Winners will receive a special certificate and medal honoring their work at a special ceremony, to be held at 3:00 pm at nearby Holley Hall.

Associate Director Kate Alexander reflects on the magic feeling that surrounds the Young Playwrights' Festival saying, "For us here at FST, the culminating moment takes place at the Festival. We look at the sea of faces; The Children come from all walks of life: poor, rich, black, white, a child from Miami who cannot speak English, a child in a wheel chair lifted to the stage. And then that singular moment that we gaze into one child's eyes, a medal around their neck, pride in their eyes, swelling emotion in their hearts. We applaud—not only for them, but for all of us."

UNDER SIXand UNDER SIX TOO feature the heartwarming and hilarious plays written by children from Florida, across the United States, and around the world in the sixth grade and below. SEVEN UP features work written by students in grade seven and higher. This year's production of UNDER SIX will feature a winning entry from Tel Mond, Israel called My Greatest Fear along side Florida winners like It Isn't Easy Traveling With Grandma.

With the help of the Sarasota Sister Cities Association, the WRITE A PLAY program went international for the second time this year sending FST's Associate Director Kate Alexander and 3 teaching artists to Dunfermline, Scotland following their trip to Tel Mond, Israel last season. Each year FST receives more plays from children in other countries, and was thrilled at the opportunity to reach out to the students in Scotland directly.

Each year, Florida Studio Theatre receives thousands of plays for submission to the Young Playwrights' Festival, which is a part of the Sarasota Festival of New Plays, and the culmination of the year-long WRITE A PLAY program. In its fifteen year history, the WRITE A PLAY program has reached over 1,000,000 children. The program continues to expand, thanks in part to various grants and funding received from local, state and national organizations.

1241 North Palm Avenue

Sarasota, FL 34236

Box Office: (941) 366-9000

E-mail: fst@fst2000.org

Website: www.fst2000.org

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