Stephens City Student Wins Wayside Theatre's Young Playwrights' Competition
Wayside Theatre has announced the winner and runner up of the Young Playwrights' Competition. The winners were chosen by a panel of readers on Wayside Theatre's staff, who read and judged the plays without knowing the identity of the playwrights.
Libby Powell, a senior at Sherando High School in Stephens City VA, has been named the winner for her play, Death at a Bus Stop. Ms. Powell has been heavily involved in Wayside Theatre's educational programs. Past involvement includes stage managing Young Performers' Workshop classes, writing for the fall Emerging Artists production of Mary Shelley: A Spark of Being, and stage managing fall and spring Emerging Artists productions, including the current production of The Tempest. Ms. Powell has been accepted to Mary Baldwin College on a scholarship to study theatre. As the winner, she will receive a $100 gift card from First Bank, two tickets to a play of her choice in Wayside Theatre's upcoming season, the T. Carter Fussell Award for Excellence in Playwriting, and a professionally produced public staged reading performed on the Wayside stage.
This year's runner-up is Kayla Borden from Musselman High School in Bunker Hill, WV, for her play How it Starts. She will receive a $50 gift card from BB&T Middletown and two tickets to a play of her choice in Wayside Theatre's upcoming season.
At Wayside Theatre, the month of April is dedicated to Education and the Arts. Wayside Theatre hosts a variety of educational opportunities through the Education in Action program, and is putting the spotlight on these opportunities throughout the month of April. The Young Playwrights' Competition will be the closing event to Education Month at Wayside Theatre.
A staged reading of Death at a Bus Stop will be presented April 30th at 7pm. The reading is open to the public and admission is free. The staged reading will be directed by Wayside actress Thomasin Savaiano. The cast will feature professional actors, including The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee's Karen O'Connell, Brandon Shockey, and Josh Shelor, and community actors, such as Ann Heap. There will be a talkback afterward with Ms. Powell to ask questions and provide feedback. The Young Playwrights' Competition is sponsored by First Bank and BB&T.
Call the box office at (540) 869-1776 for information about the Young Playwrights' Competition and the staged reading on April 30th. Additional information can be obtained on the theatre's website at www.waysidetheatre.org. Wayside Theatre is located in Middletown, Virginia on Route 11, Main Street, just north of the intersection of I-66 and I-81.
Love Theater in Central Virginia? Join The Community!
Whether you've got past experience writing about theater or just starting, the BroadwayWorld Community offers a unique opportunity to become a champion for your local arts community, helping raise awareness of local offerings and adding another local voice to the conversation at a time arts coverage is shrinking in the press across the continent. Join us and become a pivotal part of the movement that celebrates and promotes the arts in the digital age.
Learn More
|
Josh Groban: Stage, Screen, and Symphony with Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chartway Arena (8/16-8/16) |
|
The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show The Dinner Detective Virginia Beach (8/15-8/15) |
|
Michael W. Smith Every Christmas Capital One Hall (12/14-12/14) |
|
The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals Caroline Community Theatre | CCT (6/04-6/13) |
|
Mariachazo 2026 Capital One Hall (8/23-8/23) |
|
Iron Maiden & Megadeth at Jiffy Lube Live Jiffy Lube Live (9/11-9/11) |
|
Kenny G Capital One Hall (9/22-9/22) |
|
Blackberry Smoke: 25th Anniversary Tour 2026 Capital One Hall (9/05-9/05) |
|
Pitbull & Lil Jon Jiffy Lube Live (8/19-8/19) |
|
Pat McGee Band, Freddy Jones Band, & Jackopierce Capital One Hall (11/07-11/07) |