City Theatre Publishes First-Ever Young Playwrights Anthology

City Theatre has announced the publication of the first ever EQT Young Playwrights Festival Anthology, featuring six one acts by vibrant young voices.

The plays, which debuted in the 2016 EQT Young Playwrights Festival (November 30-December 9, 2016), were written by students from local middle and high schools. The Anthology was made possible through support from the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the project will be recognized by a proclamation by the Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

"Like any good artist, our young writers pushed the boundaries of creativity and delivered six new plays that made audiences laugh and cry and occasionally clutch their armrests in suspense," said City Theatre Director of Education & Accessibility, Kristen M. Link. "We could not be prouder of their work, and are delighted to share it here in our first ever Young Playwrights Festival Anthology, which has been made possible through a grant from the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation."

Each year, City Theatre receives up to 400 submissions of original one-act plays from more than 35 schools in the western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia regions. With the help of a volunteer literary committee, which includes education and theatre professionals from around the country, six plays are chosen to receive script development work with a professional dramaturg and be produced during the annual festival. Additionally, three honorable mentions are given seated readings during the festival. The 2016 EQT Young Playwrights Festival was directed by City Theatre Artistic Producer Reginald. L. Douglas with an ensemble cast of local talent.

The plays included in the Anthology are The Magic Pencil by Julia Garhart and Brenna Sposito (Sharpsville Middle School), Running from Grief by Jacob Voelker (Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts), Endangered Hope by Abigail Over (Keystone Oaks Middle School), Discount Shelf by Cavan Bonner (Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts), The Sunflower by Katrina Kudla (Moon Area High School), Signed, Sealed, Never Delivered by Merhnaz Tiv (North Allegheny Senior High School).

The Anthology will not be available for public sale, but will be used by City Theatre Teaching Artists as a reference tool in classrooms throughout the region.

City Theatre is now in its 42nd season. Located in the historic South Side, City Theatre is Pittsburgh's home for bold new plays, commissioning and producing work by playwrights including Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Madeleine George. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director James McNeel, and the 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. Visit CityTheatreCompany.org for more information.

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