Dorset Theatre Festival Announces 2016 Jean E. Miller Young Playwrights Award Winners

A celebration of the talent of our youngest theatre-makers! Dorset Theatre Festival continues its commitment to community, education, and developing new talent and plays with performances from the winners of the Jean E. Miller Young Playwrights Competition on Wednesday, September 28, 6:30 pm, at the Manchester Community Library, Hunter Room.

Winning Young Playwrights in Middle School and High School categories will receive their awards followed by Concert Readings of the winning plays in the Middle School and High School categories will be performed by Bennington College Theatre Students. Sign up for the 2017 competition will be possible at this event. Cookies and refreshments to follow.

The winners of this year's competition are: Middle School - In Between by Gigi Delosantos (Dorset School) and Daniel and the Great Chocolate Scandal by Luke Lehmann and Noah Price (Maple Street School); High School - An Office with a View by Jenna Staab, A Change in Command by Logan Younce, and The Contest by Rowie Budde (all Arlington High School).

Commenting on the judging process, Dorset Theatre Festival's Artistic Director Dina Janis said, "We had a National Panel of professional playwrights who read all of the submissions blind and then voted for their first and second choice winners in both categories. They were impressed by all of the submissions and found it very hard to choose these winners! All of the many students who participated, as well as their teachers who encouraged them- should be applauded!"

Following a series of Playwrighting Workshops that took place in our partner schools across the academic year, taught by Dina Janis, students were invited to submit a short play for adjudication by a panel of nationally recognized professional playwrights. Those interested in submitting for competition were then invited to be mentored over the spring by advanced playwrighting students from Bennington College as part of the college curriculum Playwrighting Mentoring tutorial taught by Sherry Kramer and Dina Janis.

Middle and high school students from Hiland Hall, Dorset School, Mettawee School, Floodbrook School, Arlington Memorial High School, Maple Street School, Burr and Burton Academy, The Mountain School, Poultney High School, Mt. Anthony Union Middle School, Manchester Elementary School, and Long Trail School participated.

This year's panel of judges were playwrights Caitlin Turnage, Troy Loftin, Gary Garrison, Chris Newbound, Jeremy Geregotelis, Eric Marlin, Tenara Calem, Sherry Kramer, and Marisa Smith. The program is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Trust, and the Shubert Foundation.

The Dorset Theatre Festival creates bold and innovative theatre that engages a diverse, multi-generational community, enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring its audience through the celebration of great plays produced with the highest degree of artistry. For more information on this program as well as the Festival in general, go to dorsettheatrefestival.org or call (802) 867-2223.