Coterie Theatre Hosts Young Playwrights' Festival 2011 May 11-12

It's the Coterie Theatre's favorite time of the year: World premiere readings from some of Kansas City's most talented teen playwrights will be showcased during the Young Playwrights' Festival 2011 at 7 p.m., May 11 and 12 at the Coterie Theatre, level 1, Crown Center Shops. Professional actors, directors and designers work to present a collection of seven staged readings, plays and monologues from teen members of the Coterie's Young Playwrights' Roundtable.

The highly creative Roundtable brings together a group of select young adults that meet throughout the year to write and share plays. Members of the Roundtable are invited to join after attending a Reaching the Write Minds workshop, the Coterie's citywide in-school program to identify emerging playwrights.

"Each year I get the privilege of working with 25 young writers. And if we listen to these voices, we'll have a lens into they way young people see the world using theatre as a medium," said Jeff Church, producing artistic director. "The writers in our Roundtable are so adept at helping each other's writing through peer feedback. The work is so varied and rich, and at the end of the year, we celebrate by letting the public hear some representative work from these fresh and amazing playwrights."

This year's festival will incorporate seven readings in two acts. The content is PG13, most appropriate for high school students and adults.

Directors for this year's festival are Meghann Henry, education director and also the festival coordinator, Jessalyn Kincaid and Todd Lanker. Producer of the festival is Jeff Church. Funding for the Young Playwrights' Festival is provided by the Sprint Foundation and the Curry Family Foundation.

All performances are free, though a $5 donation at the door is suggested. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by phone (816) 474-6552 or in person at the Coterie Box Office. During Festival performance days, the Box Office will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m; all seating is general admission with theater doors opening 30 min. prior to performance.

The Festival Readings
Following is a list of productions, the playwrights and their schools.

Selected Plays for the 2011 Young Playwrights' Festival

Act I
The Clique Factor by Taylor Ayers (North Kansas City High). So maybe cliques aren't humanity's greatest creation... But what would life be like without them? Directed by Meghann Henry.

The Dealer of the Game by Ali Loftin (Barstow School). When Aaron meets Kenny in the woods to get "stuff," he ends up getting more than he wants. Directed by Todd Lanker.

December 25th by Holden Meier (Home school). Rebecca longs for the magic of Christmas to save her unraveling family, but a zany visit from Santa Claus, Rudolph and their crew isn't exactly what she had in mind. Directed by Todd Lanker.

An excerpt from It's All an ACT by Emma WitbolsFeugen (William Chrisman High). A student's inner struggle for survival during a standardized testing session. Directed by Meghann Henry.

To Live and Die in Times New Roman by Taylor Kay Phillips (Barstow School). The characters in Noel's novel must face their fates as she begins the final chapters of their story. Directed by Meghann Henry.

Act II
Amen by Chris Fielder (Rockhurst High). What if conventional interpretations of God are entirely backwards in reality (and somewhat comedic)...? Directed by Todd Lanker.

An excerpt of Littler Red by Calhoun Johnson (Park Hill High). An ordinary trip to Granny's turns into a life-changing day for one unfortunate younger sister. Directed by Jessalyn Kincaid.

About Reaching the Write Minds & The Young Playwrights' Roundtable
Reaching the Write Minds was established during Church's residency at The Kennedy Center to give a voice to emerging young playwrights. Highly acclaimed for its innovative approach in motivating and encouraging young talent, Church launched Kansas City's Reaching the Write Minds program in 1992. During the Reaching the Write Minds five-hour seminar, students learn to create settings, build characters and, ultimately, devise a scenario for a complete play. Playwright facilitators for 2010-2011 were Nancy Marcy and Vi Tran. Selected participants from the Reaching the Write Minds seminars are subsequently invited to become members of the Young Playwrights' Roundtable.

Lauded because the program is a series of interactive working sessions, not a contest, the Young Playwrights' Roundtable stimulates young writers through their instruction via a mentoring approach between Church and peer members of the Roundtable. Members meet throughout the school year. Once students are selected, they remain members of the Roundtable until they graduate from high school.

Members of the 2010-11 Young Playwrights' Roundtable
Taylor Ayers (North Kansas City High), Kaleb Berry (F.L. Schlagle High), Frances Buren (Notre Dame de Sion), Destiny Cornish (Wyandotte High), Ally Eckert (Lansing High), Allison Enns (North Kansas City High), Chris Fielder (Rockhurst High), Connor Foley (Insight School of Kansas), Al'xandrya Fortner (Washington High), Katie Gates (Notre Dame de Sion), Audrey Gleason (Trailridge Middle), Samantha Harms (Lansing High), Jonah Jaax (Barstow School), Calhoun Johnson (Park Hill High), Alanis "Ali" Loftin (Barstow School), Carolina Mach (Shawnee Mission Northwest High), Holden Meier (Home School), Casha Gloria Mills (Shawnee Mission North High), Katanna Moore (Washington High), Mari Nicolosi (Notre Dame de Sion), Jessica Oeser (Lansing High), Taylor Kay Phillips (Barstow School), Tessia Phillips (Barstow School), David White (Barstow School), Emma WitbolsFeugen (William Chrisman High)

To post a comment, you must register and login.