38th Annual Plays By Young Writers Festival Set For Next Month

Playwrights Project will present its 38th annual Plays by Young Writers Festival showcasing new scripts written by youth across California. This year's Festival will be presented in-person to school groups and the public at the Salvation Army's Joan B. Kroc Theatre.

Playwrights Project's Executive Director Cecelia Kouma said, "Plays by Young Writers offers young playwrights a rewarding opportunity to work alongside professional theatre artists to stage their writing. The four plays featured this season explore cultural identity, the pressure of pursuing one's talents, the impact of grief and injustice of war, and defining ourselves beyond the labels others give us. These talented young writers offer insights and perspectives that will entertain and inspire audiences of all ages."

This year's scripts were written by four young writers between the ages of 13 and 17.

Each of these young writers is a winner of Playwrights Project's California Young Playwrights Contest, and their plays will be featured in Playwrights Project's 38th annual Plays by Young Writers Festival, sponsored by the Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky Family Fund and U.S. Bank. Contest winners were selected from 228 scripts submitted by students from across the state. Three scripts will receive full professional productions and one script will receive a staged reading.

All contest submissions were evaluated, void of identifying information, by Rachael VanWormer (Contest Coordinator) and a pool of theatre professionals who volunteered their time and expertise. The top 50 scripts were reviewed by Cecelia Kouma (Executive Producer), who worked with the Contest Coordinator to choose 10 finalists whose plays were evaluated by Final Judges. Final Judges in the selection process included Ahmed Kenyatta Dents (Associate Artistic Director at New Village Arts & Director of Marketing and Communications at ALJP Consulting), Josefina López (Award-Winning Playwright & Plays by Young Writers Alumna), Annie Weisman (Award-Winning Playwright & Plays by Young Writers Alumna) Delicia Turner Sonnenberg (Co-Founder and Former Artistic Director, Moxie Theatre), Derek Charles Livingston (Interim Artistic Director/Director of New Play Development, Utah Shakespeare) and Andy Lowe (Director of Production and Casting, East West Players). Kouma, VanWormer and Aria Proctor (Plays by Young Writers Production Manager) chose the final plays for the season based on the judges' feedback and interviews of the top finalists.

Selection criteria focused on creative ideas, intriguing and authentic characters, original use of language, a story that is revealed through dialogue and action, producibility online, and a script that would benefit from further development in the production process. All contest participants who requested feedback received individualized written critiques.

Playwrights Project is thrilled to return to in-person programming for the Plays by Young Writers Festival. Playwrights Project is committed to bringing playwriting programs and quality theatrical productions to all members of our community, including those who may not see themselves as writers or conventional theatregoers. For student audiences, Plays by Young Writers is an inspiring opportunity to experience art written by their peers. Watching what other young people create and communicate through theatre is an empowering experience that leads to additional arts engagement and enhanced academic achievement.

The Festival features work by writers ages 13 and younger as staged readings, and works by ages 14-18 as full professional productions.

Donny Cannady's insightful and original script, The Notifiers, is set during the era of the Vietnam War. A WWII vet and a volunteer civilian with opposing views on the war deliver notices to families that have lost loved ones overseas. The two men explore their experiences and cope with the crushing responses from soldier's families. Final Judges say, "The premise is unique and emotionally engaging, while the characters are specific and full of potential" (Annie Weisman) and "This is a really compelling piece" (Andy Lowe). Donny, age 17, hails from Fullerton, CA where he participated in the Fullerton Union High School Theatre Program, improv training with Comedy Sportz and was a member of the FUHS Thespian Society Leadership Board. Derek Charles Livingston, theatre artist, final judge, and past Plays by Young Writers Festival Producer serves as dramaturg for The Notifiers.

Gifted, by 16 year-old Shalhevet High School student, Tehilla Fishman, follows the journey of a former piano prodigy who struggles to play after her grandmother dies. In this allegory of a family coping with loss, teenage Luna struggles with feelings of grief, regains her love of music, and forms a renewed bond with her grandmother beyond the grave. Final Judge Ahmed Dents said of Gifted, "A beautiful story. The emotional stakes are clear." In addition to honing her writing skills, Tehilla designs the layout of her school newspaper, The Boiling Point, and plays flag football. She is active with the David Labkovski Project, runs a teen prayer group for her synagogue and enjoys drawing and painting. Teaching Artist, Aurrora Arnold, serves as dramaturg for Gifted.

In Vincent Schillings' play American Dissonance, a young Chinese-American woman journeys to define her culture on her terms. The play explores her intimate desire for cultural connection through talks with her therapist, and draws similarities to her mother's own relationship with being Chinese-American. Eighteen-year-old Vincent wrote his script while attending Henry M Gunn High School in the San Francisco Bay Area. Final Judges said of American Dissonance, "Everything about this set up just piques my curiosity for where these characters are headed" (Andy Lowe) and "funny...great back and forth" (Ahmed Dents). Vincent enjoys playwriting, studying Peking Opera, marine biology, visual arts and drinking tea. Andy Lowe, theatre artist, final judge, and former Festival winner, supports Vincent dramaturgically.

This year's staged reading is The Santa Heist written by Ell Banoub at the age of 12. In this relevant and entertaining piece, Danny is on the "naughty list" again; Santa has COVID; and Christmas is in jeopardy! Can Danny and his friends help? Ell wrote this script as part of a Playwrights Project Residency in Kerry Gahan's class at Creative, Performing and Media Arts Academy taught by Teaching Artist Heidi Handelsman. The play was inspired by the TV show "The Simpson's" and Ell's dog, who was seen wearing a Santa's hat. Contest Coordinator Rachael VanWormer stated, "This script made me laugh out loud." Sam Ginn, a talented actor, teaching artist, and New Village Arts' Director of Education, serves as dramaturg for The Santa Heist.

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