Palm Beach Dramaworks
announces

Fifth Annual Young Playwrights
10-Minute Play Contest Winners
Plays to be read onstage March 9

Palm Beach Dramaworks is delighted to announce the 10 winners of its fifth annual Young Playwrights 10-Minute Play Contest (YPC). The plays will be read by professional actors in front of an audience at the Don & Anne Brown Theatre on March 9 at 7:00pm. Tickets are free, but reservations are required.
 
Macy’s and Kids’ Dreams are the sponsors of the YPC, which was open to students in grades 9-12 throughout Palm Beach County. The winners were chosen by a group of theatre professionals.

The contest was the only one of PBD’s education programs that was able to go on last year when the theatre was shut down: the readings were done online and the audience watched on Zoom. This year’s winners have the opportunity to experience their plays together with an audience.   

“For the live return of our 2022 contest, PBD sought to inspire young people to write plays that support their vision for a stronger community and world,” said Director of Education and Community Engagement Gary Cadwallader, who will direct all the readings. “We know young people are passionate about social justice, and we wanted to embolden their creativity and their sense of responsibility. These 10 young playwrights are incredibly insightful writers who tapped into our theme this year, Mission Everyone! I am honored to help guide the work of these extremely observant and thoughtful emerging artists.”

Mission Everyone! was an idea Cadwallader shared with teachers at the beginning of the school year. He asked that they offer various prompts to their students as a springboard for thought: “I stand for. . .,” “I fight for . . .,” “Together we can . . .,” etc. The result, he said, is that the young playwrights “wrote about bold topics that deeply matter to them.”
The winning playwrights, in alphabetical order, are:

Schnyder Albert               Palm Beach Gardens HS               Senior
The Bliss of Ignorance

Bianca Borchers              Park Vista HS                                 Junior
Crossover

Gage Callenius                G-Star School of the Arts               Senior
The First Date Pro League

Felicity Dillow                    Royal Palm Beach HS                   Senior
I Thought I Was an Alien

Kassidy Eaton                  Royal Palm Beach HS                  Junior
In Your Head

Miah Farmer                      American Heritage School            Senior
Dear Future Self

Daniela Guarino                American Heritage School             Junior
Once in a Lifetime

Wuendy Ortiz                     Lake Worth HS                              Junior
Forbidden Love

Emeline Smith                   The Benjamin School                     Senior
On the Other Side

Joseph Tralongo               American Heritage School             Senior
The Shackled Buffoon

Felicity Dillow also won in 2021.

Each of the student playwrights will be awarded a $250 prize and receive a keepsake anthology of the winning plays.

The Young Playwrights 10-Minute Play Contest was established to give teens the opportunity to write about subjects that are meaningful to them, and to inspire teachers to incorporate playwriting into their classrooms. The young playwrights are invited to participate in the rehearsal process, where they learn how professional playwrights, directors, and actors work together to revise and strengthen their plays. Meredith Bartmon and Emma Sue Harris are the dramaturgs.  

All guests at the theatre are required to wear suitable masks that completely cover the nose, mouth, and under the chin for their entire visit. Anyone who does not comply will be escorted out of the theatre. PBD also requires documentation (printed or digital): Fully vaccinated guests have the option of voluntarily presenting documentation showing full vaccination status. Full vaccination is defined as the completion of the final dose at least 14 days prior to the performance date. Alternatively, all guests can, instead, present documentation of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result conducted within 72 hours prior to the performance, or a negative COVID-19 Antigen test result conducted within 24 hours prior to the scheduled performance start time. Matching photo ID is required for everyone 18 years of age and older. 

To reserve your free ticket to the performance on March 9, visit
www.palmbeachdramaworks.org or call the box office at 561.514.4042, x2.

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Palm Beach Dramaworks is a professional, nonprofit theatre company founded in 2000 and located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach. Each season, the award-winning company produces five mainstage shows and offers a wide variety of programs for students at the theatre, in schools, and online. Committed to fostering the future of theatre, PBD has become a hub for playwrights in Florida and around the country to nurture their work through initiatives including Drama(in the)works and the annual New Year/New Plays Festival. PBD is a member of Theatre Communications Group, Florida Professional Theatres Association, and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. www.palmbeachdramaworks.org  

The Don & Ann Brown Theatre is located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, at 201 Clematis Street.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Sardone-Shiner
Marketing Consultant
(561) 891-7278
jshiner@palmbeachdramaworks.org 
www.palmbeachdramaworks.org