Lucille Lortel Theatre Announces Recipients of 2nd Annual NYC Public High School Playwriting Fellowship

The Lucille Lortel Theatre is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2nd Annual NYC Public High School Playwriting Fellowship, created as an opportunity for aspiring young writers citywide to get unparalleled access to professional theater artists for mentoring. The Fellows and Finalists of the program represent every borough of NYC, as well as a D79 school. Each aspiring playwright submitted an original 10-minute play, and was judged by the following panel of playwrights and directors: Rebecca Aparicio, A.J. Muhammad, Michael Raine, Phaedra Scott, and Gabriel Vega Weissman. Plays were chosen based on dramatic structure and the playwright's individual voice.

Fellows will meet with a mentor to discuss their play and learn more about playwriting as a career. This year's mentors are Nilan Johnson, Jon Kern, and Mona Mansour. Fellows work directly with their mentor, and then with director Kimille Howard (NYTW 2050 Directing Fellow, a Jonathan Alper Directing Fellow at Manhattan Theatre Club, and Assistant Stage Director at the Metropolitan Opera), to learn what the role of a director is and how they collaborate with a playwright to create a theater work.

In addition to the unique opportunity to see their plays brought to life, a collection of the Fellows' six plays will be published by the Lucille Lortel Theatre and distributed to the student playwrights. Participation in this program is free to students and sponsored by the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

All plays will be presented in a special virtual performance hosted on the Lucille Lortel Theatre YouTube channel in June 2021. Kimille Howard will direct all works.

"We were overwhelmed with the response to this program in our second year, especially in the middle of a pandemic. At this challenging time, it's more important than ever to encourage young artists to share their voices with their community," said George Forbes, Executive Director of the Lucille Lortel Theatre. "We are also extremely grateful to Peter Avery and the NYC Department of Education for all their assistance."

"Stories keep us socially and emotionally connected to one another even when isolated. Through the Lucille Lortel Theatre's Playwriting Fellowship, our NYC public school teens creatively process and share their individual points of view of what is happening in their worlds through original crafted plays. How inspiring for these diverse young artists to receive professional mentorship, culminating with their distinct voices brought to life by a professional team of actors and directors," remarked Peter Avery, Director of Theater for the NYC Department of Education.

This Year's Fellows:

Analyesia Calo - Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, D79, Manhattan, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Sarah F. Chaudhry - Queens School of Inquiry, Queens, The Kingdom of Hearts

Mimi Ryder - Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts, Manhattan, Metamorphosis of a Fairy

Nicaulis Mercedes - Fordham High School for the Arts, Bronx, Wilting Essence

Katie S. Nieves - Lyons Community School, Brooklyn, PLACES EVERYONE! A Half-Baked Play

Flannery Patterino - Susan E. Wagner High School, Staten Island, A Funeral Story

Finalists:

Sarah Cheyney - Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan, Fleeting Moments in Nail Salons

Lauren Cho - The Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, The Matter's Circle

Mace Funz - Townsend Harris High School, Queens, A Gift

Darrell Lopez - Susan E. Wagner High School, Staten Island, RXR

Jaxon Tartaglia - Kingsborough Early College Secondary School, Brooklyn, Closure