2014 Young Playwrights Festival Lineup Announced and Set for 10/4 & 10/5

City Theatre is pleased to present the 2014 Young Playwrights Festival, October 4 and 5 in City Theatre's Hamburg Studio. Featuring original, one-act plays written by select middle and high school playwrights from Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia, the 15th annual Festival showcases professional productions of six winning scripts chosen from over 300 Young Playwrights Contest submissions.

This year's Festival will showcase diverse theatrical storytelling, imaginative plots, and vivid characters. Subjects tackled range from identity crisis in Barbie and Ken's Dream House, to adventures with a psycho goose from outer space, to time travel via a magic bat, and more.

FEATURED PLAYS

Middle School Selections

Attack of the Psycho Geese from Outer Space!
by Weston Custer
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12
Even Hippy Harry, expert on all things weird, can't give twins Colin and Carrie the edge in their epic battle with a psycho alien goose. Is it possible that the enemy is much closer to home?

The Bat Boy
by Joseph Bornes
Sharpsville Area Middle School
When Joey travels back in time to the 1960 World Series, he meets a surprise fellow time traveler who helps him get back to 2014, and teaches him a few lessons on family and friendship along the way.

Cologne
by Michelle Do
North Hills Middle School
Sophia, a musician, and Christian, a soldier, are newlyweds separated by the miles to Afghanistan. But combat training didn't prepare Christian for the toughest assault he has to fight-a loss of memory, and not his own.

High School Selections:

The Cellar
by Casey Zadinski
South Fayette High School
Derek and Annabel hardly know each other, but when they get locked in the cellar during a party, emotions rise to the surface as their darkest secrets come to light.

Conflict
by Michael Kelly
Moon Area High School
Arthur thinks his new story should be true to real, uneventful life. Montgomery, his publisher, thinks it needs action, structure, conflict. Is Montgomery asking the right questions? And what does it even matter?

Dream House
by Drew Praskovich
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12
When Barbie dreams she's someone else, a crack appears in the foundation of the Dream House, forcing Barbie and Ken to reevaluate their status as the ideal couple.

The 2014 Young Playwrights Festival creative team includes Steven Wilson (Director), Carlyn Aquiline (Literary Manager and Dramaturg), Kristen Link (Director of Education & Accessibility), Tony Ferrieri (Scenic Consulting), Hannah Prochaska (Costume), Regina Tvaruzek (Lighting), Steve Shapiro (Sound), Sabrina Hykes (Props), and Brad Peterson (Projection Consulting).

Dramaturgy for each play was done by David Little (Attack of the Psycho Geese from Outer Space!), Heather Helinsky (The Bat Boy), Jeanne Drennan (Cologne), Tyler Crumrine (The Cellar), Annie DiMario (Conflict), and Olivia O'Connor (Dream House).

In addition to producing the six winning plays, City Theatre will also feature readings of three plays that were selected as Young Playwrights Contest finalists. The readings will be performed at City Theatre on October 10 at 7:00 pm in the Hamburg Studio Theatre in collaboration with local university actors and directors from Carnegie Mellon University, Point Park University, and the University of Pittsburgh. The finalists are as follows:

Catch That Bird
by Brenda Nicole Dressel
Canon-McMillan High School

God Hates Pancakes
by Madeline Smith
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12

The Now
by Daniel DiFabio
Washington High School

The festival schedule is as follows:

Saturday, October 4
1:00 pm Middle School Performance
6:00 pm High School Performance

Sunday, October 6
1:00 pm High School Performance
6:00 pm Middle School Performance

Friday, October 10
7:00 pm Performance Reading of Finalists' Plays

Performances will be held at City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side). Ticket prices (October 4th & 5th) are $10 for students and $15 for adults. Performances include three middle or high school selections. Finalists' Play Readings: FREE

*In partnership with Allegheny Regional Asset District's 2014 RADical Days

Box Office: 412.431.CITY (2489) or CityTheatreCompany.org

Young Playwrights is City Theatre's comprehensive, dynamic approach to arts education serving teachers and students in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. The program fulfills Common Core and state academic standards, including English/Language Arts and Arts & Humanities. Four major components make up the Young Playwrights program: the Young Playwrights Teacher Institute, In-School Workshops, the Young Playwrights Contest, and the Young Playwrights Festival.

City Theatre is now in its 40th season. Located on Pittsburgh's historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in new plays, commissioning and producing work by playwrights including Adam Rapp, Jeffrey Hatcher, Theresa Rebeck, and Christopher Durang. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director Mark R. Power, and a 45-member Board of Directors, City Theatre's mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience. CityTheatreCompany.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.