Philly Young Playwrights Hosts Young Voices High School Monologue Fest

Philadelphia Young Playwrights and InterAct Theatre Company have joined together once again to present the 2011 Young Voices High School Monologue Festival from February 16 - 19 at The Adrienne Theater (2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia). The Festival will offer five staged performances of 15 winning high school monologues to both student groups and the general public. Young Playwrights' received nearly 300 monologue submissions from high school students across the region. This year's winners represent some of the area's best young playwriting talent.

During the 4-day Festival, student writers and their peers will see their monologues performed by professional actors from Philadelphia's theatre community. Content and language is mature and appropriate for high school audiences. [A summary of winning monologues follow below.]

Through their original monologues, students created stories about family, relationships, race and culture, independence, bullying and violence, identity and more. Many of the winning monologues explore current events in the news and other complex issues facing today's youth. My Unfound Soul by Central High School 10th grader Diane Mesidor tells the story of a first-generation Haitian-American girl as she copes with her feelings about her homeland and culture in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Philadelphia High School for Girls 11th grader Tatiana Williams penned After, a story following a young boy caught up in a flash mob. Williams' monologue lends a creative voice to the disturbing "flash mobs" and teen violence which continue to be a major concern for the city of Philadelphia. In A Foreign Face and Language, Donna Zhang, a 10th grader at Central High School for Girls, explores Asian culture and family relationships through her story of a girl in the midst of a Chinese-American identity crisis.

2011 Young Voices High School Monologue Festival winners include: Ashley Brock of Mt. Airy's Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice; Alexander Heary of The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush High School in Northeast Philadelphia; Akil Lewis-King and Ivan Tsang of Academy at Palumbo and Glenna Walsh of Neumann-Goretti in South Philadelphia.

Additional winning students include Haley Gordon of Cheltenham High School in Wyncote (Montgomery County); Cecilia Pallante and Tatiana Williams of Philadelphia High School for Girls and Diane Mesidor of Central High School in Olney; Brianna Harvey of Constitution High School, Tom Gugliuzza and Alex Rivera of Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, and Sabrina Stewart-McDonald and Jennifer Wright of Science Leadership Academy, all in Center City.

The 2011 Young Voices High School Monologue Festival is made possible in part by the individuals driving the program including: Amy Hodgdon, Director of Education and Programs, Philadelphia Young Playwrights (Co-Producer); Dwight Wilkins, Education Director at InterAct Theatre Company (Co-Producer); David O'Connor (Festival Director and Dramaturg); Brandi Jeter (Dramaturg); Kate McGrath (Dramaturg); Jerrell Henderson (Director); InterAct interns Gina Diserio (Director) and Emma Futhey (Director). Honorary Producer for this year's Festival is Eileen Baird, member of Philadelphia Young Playwrights' Producers' Circle.

The Monologue Festival is underwritten by the Citizens Bank Foundation.

Monologues Summaries

Each monologue summary is written by the student playwright. Content subject to change. Content and language is mature and appropriate for high school audiences.

The Dilemma
By Ashley Brock ~ Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice, Grade 11
It's about a man who works at the Mint and is torn between telling about the injustices toward the work horses or keeping it a secret.

Thoughts Can Fly
By Haley Gordon ~ Cheltenham High School, Grade 9
A young man thinks about humanity and its sense of entitlement.

Pushing the Wrong Buttons
By Tom Gugliuzza ~ Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, Grade 10
The story of an abusive relationship and divorce through the eyes of a remote control.

Time to Stand Up
By Brianna Harvey ~ Constitution High School, Grade 9
My monologue is about a 14-year-old girl named Pat who is very upset that her 18-year-old brother was taken away by the cops for a crime that he didn't commit.

You Wouldn't Understand
By Alexandra Heary ~ The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush, Grade 9
A girl named Sara who has a bullying problem at her school is jumped in the hallway and talks to a counselor.

I Wanna Fly
By Akil Lewis-King ~ Academy at Palumbo, Grade 11
A young teenage male named Jabar is struggling with what to do with his life because he is too short to play basketball as a profession.

My Unfound Soul
By Diane Mesidor ~ Central High School, Grade 10
The country of a young girl's family is destroyed and she worries of how she never got to go and experience the culture face-to-face.

Strength
By Cecilia Pallante ~ Philadelphia High School for Girls, Grade 12
My monologue is about my father. He was a negative influence on my life, but it explains how I used his influence into strengthening myself.

Sleeper Judgemental
By Alex Rivera ~ Creative and Performing Arts High School, Grade 9
A young boy loses someone close to him and grapples with how he could have prevented this loss.

Play the Part
By Sabrina Stewart-McDonald ~ Science Leadership Academy, Grade 10
A girl has stage fright while performing at a dress rehearsal of Macbeth. Later, when she thinks about the situation, she realizes everyone gets nervous and makes mistakes and she starts to conquer her stage fright.

Leaving the Cage...
By Ivan Tsang ~ Academy at Palumbo, Grade 12
My monologue is about a young Asian teen tired of being told what to do. He is tired of his life being controlled and wants to lead his own life the way he wants to.

Predisposition
By Glenna Walsh ~ Neumann-Goretti, Grade 11
The struggle of three generations summarized in one mother's disapproval for her mother's and daughter's behavior, highlighting how one decision, bad or good, leaves no family unscarred.

After
By Tatiana Williams ~ Philadelphia High School for Girls, Grade 11
A young boy getting caught up in a bad situation but he gets out.

It's Chuck
By Jennifer Wright ~ Science Leadership Academy, Grade 10
Charlie is a kid going into the 7th grade. He was picked on a lot in middle school and the first day offers him a chance to change his status as well as his name with the help of Mom and his friends.

A Foreign Face and Language
By Donna Zhang ~ Central High School, Grade 10
A girl with a face that does not rightfully belong to her. Although this is known to her, others mistake her for what she could not be.

About InterAct Theatre Company
InterAct is a theatre for today's world, producing new and contemporary plays that explore the social, political, and cultural issues of our time. Founded in 1988, InterAct's aim is to educate, as well as entertain its audiences, by producing world-class, thought-provoking productions, and by using theatre as a tool to foster positive social change in the school, the workplace and the community. Through its artistic and educational programs, InterAct seeks to make a significant contribution to the cultural life of Philadelphia and to the American theatre. For more information about the company, visit www.interacttheatre.org.

About Philadelphia Young Playwrights

Founded in 1987 by Adele Magner, and led today by Executive Producing Director Glen Knapp, Philadelphia Young Playwrights is an award-winning program that taps the potential of youth and inspires learning through playwriting in more than 50 public and private K-12 schools each year. A leader in the region's educational programs for youth and built upon its primary belief that all students have something important and valuable to say, Young Playwrights has enriched the Greater Philadelphia community, touching the lives of thousands of students, teachers and parents for the past twenty years. Since 1987, approximately 60 professional playwrights have led workshops, and nearly all of Philadelphia's professional theater companies have participated by performing, producing, or directing student works. Nearly 60,000 students have seen peers' work produced in class or by professionals. Young Playwrights' Literary Committee includes more than 60 educators, writers, parents, and former Young Playwrights students who read and critique each student script.

 

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