Trinity Rep Announces Winners of WRITE HERE! WRITE NOW! Student Playwriting Competition

The winners of Trinity Rep's eighth annual playwriting competition for New England high school students, Write Here! Write Now!, have been announced: Carolyn Jane Ferullo (Lincoln School in Providence, RI), Amiya Mandapati (Lincoln School in Providence, RI), Ayrin Ramirez (Central High School in Providence, RI), and Madilyn Spear (Framingham High School in Framingham, MA). More information can be found at www.trinityrep.com/whwn

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Write Here! Write Now! is a part of the expansive educational initiatives at Trinity Rep. Creative writing, English, and theater teachers are invited to assign a ten-minute play as a part of their classroom curriculum. All completed plays can then be submitted - free of charge - to the Write Here! Write Now! competition. Resources for teachers, including a guide for bringing the Write Here! Write Now! curriculum into the classroom are available on Trinity Rep's website.

RECOGNITION
Scripts are adjudicated through a blind evaluation process by Trinity Rep's education and artistic staff as well as guests from the community. Each play that is submitted will receive feedback to enhance the playwriting experience and aid in the development of the student's creative voice.

Four winners are selected with at least one winner from a Providence, RI high school for an in-depth dramaturgical look at their scripts. Winners also receive a scholarship towards any Trinity Rep Young Actors Studio afterschool class and 20 free tickets to a Project Discovery student matinee performance during the 2020-21 Season for their school. Typically, students would have their plays performed by resident acting company members and Brown/Trinity Rep MFA students at the contest's culminating event, a festival of staged readings in May. However, this year, staff are considering and evaluating alternate opportunities to celebrate the student's work in order to ensure everyone's health and safety. Further details will be announced at a later date.

"We've found that giving high school students the opportunity to engage in playwriting has been an exciting opportunity for students to explore a form of expression that can feel more authentic, immediate, and true to their experience," says Matthew Tibbs, associate education director at Trinity Rep.

"It's our hope that students gain some insights while writing from different perspectives." Trinity Rep's director of education and accessibility, Jordan Butterfield, adds, "It is refreshing and invigorating to hear young voices express their perspectives. This year's winners are witty, beautifully descriptive and they capture vibrant moments of human existence."

ABOUT THE PLAYS

Carolyn Jane Ferullo studies at Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island. Her play, Run, Ferret Run, explores the lengths people go to in order to cope with the results of their decisions.

Welcome to Hell by Amiya Mandapati from Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island tells the story of what happens when you die and don't end up where you expected.

Ayrin Ramirez from Central High School in Providence, Rhode Island writes Friends Without Benefits, a story about what happens when those we trust turn out to be something we could have never thought.

The Bee by Madilyn Spear from Framingham High School in Framingham, MA is a tragic tale told through the spelling of words.

This year's honorable mentions go to Far and Gone by Erlinda Castro (Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts, Providence, RI) and The Soccer Mom by Kailana Reis (Dighton Rehoboth High School, Dighton, MA).

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