Philadelphia Young Playwrights' Paula Vogel Mentors Project Begins Next Week

Philadelphia Young Playwrights hosts an exciting week May 9-15, launching the third and final year of the Paula Vogel Mentors Project with their annual fundraising event, Write On, on Monday. Celebrating the year at Young Playwrights and the students, teachers, and teaching artists who make it all possible, Write On runs from 6-8:30 p.m. in The Foundry at The Fillmore (29 E. Allen Street). Then, beginning Thursday, they will present a series of premieres of new plays written by five students as part of the Paula Vogel Mentors Project.

Featuring student works and highlighting stories from throughout the year, Write On will also honor two important individuals: June Wolfson and Glen Knapp. This year the Patron Award will go to long-time donor June Wolfson, whose founding support of Young Playwrights' Autism Drama program (in collaboration with Theatre Horizon) has helped to transform the organization and its programs. The President' s Award will go to former Executive Director Glen Knapp, who transitioned out of the organization last year after 15 years of leadership. Knapp played a vital role in establishing the Paula Vogel Mentors Project, which has given fifteen young playwrights the opportunity to create new work under the mentorship of professional playwrights (including Pulitzer Prize winner and Young Playwrights alum Quiara Alegria Hudes, Pew Fellow and multiple Barrymore-Award winner James Ijames, and OBIE award winner Lucy Thurber) over the last three years.

Hudes, who has served as playwright curator for the project over the three years, says this about mentors: "Mentors I had as a teenager made a lasting impact on my life. I learned how to have a conversation and articulate my thoughts, feelings and questions...learned how to listen to those with more knowledge as they shared what they knew. I also gained a sense of self-value. Mentors provide professional role models, intellectual conversation, and college prep in a real way."

The Paula Vogel Mentors Project performances will begin Thursday, May 12th. This year, the Project expanded in several ways, inviting two young playwrights from outside of the Philadelphia region to join for the first time. They came to Young Playwrights through Writers' Theatre of New Jersey and EPIC Theatre Ensemble in New York City. Similarly, the performances themselves will take on a new flavor this year and are being presented in partnership with five producing partners at venues throughout the city. The partners are: Found Theater Company; The Greenfield Collective; Penn Players; Power Street Theatre Company; and Donnell Powell (of Color My Sidewalk).

This program is offered to participants free of charge, made possible by Independence Foundation New Theatre Works Initiative, and The Nessa Forman, David Forman, Eleanor and Solomon Forman Family Fund. Tickets to readings are Pay What You Can, with a suggested donation is $10. Reservations can be made online at www.phillyyoungplaywrights.org.

The 2016 Paul Vogel Mentors Program Works
Existential Depression
By: Ellery Schiller, Junior, Masterman High School
?Mentor: James Ijames
About the Work: What is the meaning of life? Without meaning are we even living? Are we all as pretentious as we seem? Travel the train of thought of five unlikely heroes for an abstracted, absurd examination of the human condition.

Director: Mindy A. Early. Cast: Jeremy Cohen, Jonathan D'Rozario, Grayce Hoffman, and Claris Park.

Thursday, May 12, 6 p.m.
Friday, May 13, 6 p.m.

Platt Student Performing Arts House, University of Pennsylvania, 3702 Spruce Street
Produced in Partnership with Platt Student Performing Arts House

Nearly Famous
By: Emma Q. Baxter, Junior, Randolph High, Randolph NJ
Mentor: Jacqueline Goldfinger
About the Work: Anything's possible in New York City- especially for inspiring actor, Grayson! Unfortunately, he'll have to face failure and fold clothes before catching his big break. But, everything changes when he gets the audition and the girl of his dreams! However, Grayson soon will learn that some things are too good to be true.

Director: Jay Gilman. Cast: Emily R. Johnson, Joe Palinsky, and Joe Wozniak.

Saturday, May 14, 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 15, 7 p.m.

Shiloh Baptist Church, Boy Scout Room, 2040 Christian Street
Produced in Partnership with Found Theater Company

El Jefe
By: Dalissa Duran, Junior, Bronx High School for Writing and Communication
Mentor: P. Seth Bauer

What does New York City mean to Anna-Joaquina Garcia? Solace, exclusion, foreign territory. What does the Dominican Republic mean to Anna-Joaquina Garcia? Storybook, exclusion, foreign territory. Where does Anna-Joaquina Garcia belong? Caught between two worlds, Anna will struggle to find identity in a place where a sea and a dangerous secret separates her from home.

Director: Erlina Ortiz. Cast: Iraisa Ann Reilly, Diana Rodriquez, Gabriela Sanchez, Jose Aviles.

Friday, May 13, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 14, 2 p.m.

Young Playwrights Independence Foundation Learning Lab, 1219 Vine Street
Produced in Partnership with Power Street Theatre Company

The Slithering Snake, The Abiding Angel, and The Innocent Soul
By: Darius Purnell, Sophomore, Science Leadership Academy
Mentor: Quinn E. Eli

Annabelle Wilson and Emily Johnson are best friends- not yet jaded by adulthood and the societal prejudices that are set to drive them apart. After all, what does race matter to two adolescent, Alabama girls? But soon, the teens are forced to make an adult decision that could mean the end of their friendship and lives.

Director: Christina May. Cast: Jared Calhoun, April Rose Davis, Terrell Green, Donovan Lockett.

Thursday, May 12, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 13, 6:30 p.m.
Cliveden, 6401 Germantown Ave
Produced in Partnership with Donnell Powell

Losing Back the Sleep You've Gained
By: Helen Everbach, Junior, Strath Haven High School
Mentor: Lucy Thurber

As the support system for her eccentric LGBTQA+ friend group, and the lone juggler of her own platonic and romantic relationships, it's safe to say that Melissa has a lot on her plate. This highly relatable and quick-witted play offers an inside look at the nuance, and chaos, of love and friendship.

Director: Hannah Van Sciver. Cast: Ife Foy, Jake Innerst, Emily R. Johnson, Gracie Martin.

Thursday, May 12, 8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 13, 8:00 p.m.
Chi Movement Arts Center, 1316 South 9th Street, South of Wharton Street
Produced in Partnership with The Greenfield Collective

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