Center Theatre Group Selects 12 Local Students For 2019 August Wilson Monologue Competition

Center Theatre Group has selected 12 local high school students to participate in the regional finals for the 2019 August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) to be held at the Mark Taper Forum on Monday, March 11, 2019.

This is the eighth consecutive year Center Theatre Group is hosting the Southern California component of the national monologue competition. The program is designed to inspire and educate Los Angeles youth using monologues from August Wilson's "American Century Cycle," a 10-play cycle that details the complexity of the African American experience in the 20th century.

Those selected to participate in the regional finals are Bene't Benton (Carson), Kyle Branch (Los Angeles), Samuel Caruana (Canyon Country), Tiffany DeBerry (Santa Clarita), Dejean Deterville (Palmdale), Mylah Eaton (Studio City), Jofre Paul Francisco (Los Angeles), Jada Henry (Los Angeles), Laila C. Stewart (West Covina), Vanessa Valencia (Los Angeles), Daniel Velez (Los Angeles) and Ryan Wade (Los Angeles). The students represent seven local high schools within Los Angeles County. Eaton and Velez also participated in the 2018 competition.

The students selected will receive training and rehearsal sessions provided by Center Theatre Group throughout January and February. The sessions will allow the students to refine their performances while gaining valuable acting techniques.

On March 11, the 12 regional finalists will perform their monologues at the Mark Taper Forum in front of an invited audience, including a panel of judges. The two top-performing students will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for the chance to perform in the AWMC national finals; the third place student will serve as alternate. The national finals will take place on May 6 at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway. As preparation for the national component of the competition, all three students will receive master classes to workshop their monologues, as well as scholarship awards.

Image: L-R: (back row) Daniel Velez, Ryan Wade, Dejean Deterville, Vanessa Valencia, Laila C. Stewart, Jada Henry, Samuel Caruana, Jofre Paul Francisco, Mylah Eaton, (front row) Kyle Branch and Bene't Benton (Tiffany DeBerry is not pictured.) Photo by Ericka Kreutz Photography.