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Deadline Approaches: The Theater Project’s 22nd
Annual Young Playwrights Competition PODCASTS/VIDEOS with last year’s winners available WHEN: Submission deadline Jan 22, 2024
INFO: www.thetheaterproject.org, 908 809-8865 The Theater Project, an award-winning professional company
and incubator for rising talent, is once again reaching out to creative
young people in New Jersey high schools with its 22nd annual Young Playwrights
Competition.
Winners
receive cash prizes and see their work performed by professional actors at
the Zoom awards ceremony in the spring. The submission deadline to
enter the 2024 competition is January 22.
Interested
students and teachers can access entry details, videos, and podcasts with
last year’s winners on the website, www.TheTheaterProject.org.
“Every
year one of our winners tells us, I would never have tried to do this if I
hadn't heard about the competition,” says artistic director Mark Spina. “We
hope to inspire more young people to write short plays, developing the
verbal abilities, critical thinking skills and creativity that they need to
succeed in any field.”
Several
past winners of the Playwrights Competition have gone on to pursue degrees
in theater and playwriting, and they often return to The Theater Project’s
event to present prizes and share their journeys with the newest honorees.
The judges, members of The Theater Project’s Adult Playwrights Workshop,
also offer half-hour tutorials to any interested contest entrant.
The
honorees at last year’s event represented nine different high schools and
eight different New Jersey towns:
- FIRST PRIZE: Elise Harvey, Somerset
County Vocational and Technical High School, Bridgewater
- SECOND PRIZE: Delia Mullen,
Communications High School, Wall Township
- THIRD PRIZE (a tie): Nicole M. Beltre, Teaneck High School and Henry Frieman,
Communications High School, Wall Township
- HONORABLE MENTIONS
Kristen Gallagher, Communications High School, Wall Township
MJ King, Morristown High School
Leila Kramer & Trevor Preece (joint entry), Cherry Hill
High School East
Mia Longenecker, Madison High School
Lucas Luchsinger, Union County Vocational Technical School,
Scotch Plains
Charlie Patton, High Technology High School, Lincroft
Jonathan Tejada, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy, Elizabeth
“We
want to make sure that kids know their creative efforts are valued by
showcasing them for the community – making it an online event allows them
to share their work with friends anywhere around the country and beyond,”
says program coordinator Kevin Carver. “Arts education sometimes gets
short-changed as schools struggle to meet so many demands. But when kids
lose out on arts experiences, they miss opportunities to develop critical
thinking skills that are needed now more than ever.”
The
winning playwrights receive cash prizes; the honorable mentions are awarded
gift certificates. The Theater Project works with its “alumni” winners to
find other venues for their work, by sponsoring them in other competitions
such as the Samuel French Festival in New York City.
Now
in its 30th year, The Theater Project presents programs and
productions in Cranford, Maplewood, Union, and West Orange.
Honorees of last year’s Young
Playwrights Competition
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