City Theatre Announces 2012 Young Playwrights Contest Winners

City Theatre has announced six Young Playwrights Contest winners who will develop their scripts in collaboration with professional theatre artists-a director, dramaturgs, and actors-for productions on City Theatre's Lester Hamburg Studio Stage during the 13th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, October 2-10, 2012.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SELECTIONS:

The Journey Through Gulompae Forest by Marin Exler
Carlynton Junior-Senior High School

Elizabeth's Revolution by Brigid Stuart
Brentwood Middle School

Sherbert Homes and the Diamond Deception by Claire Zalla
Fort Couch Middle School

HIGH SCHOOL SELECTIONS:

The Stranger by Liam McInerney
Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School

Roost by Lana Meyer
Carlynton Junior-Senior High School

Five Generations by Alexis Payne
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12

The winning one-act plays were selected from 225 Young Playwrights Contest submissions. Students from middle and high schools in Western Pennsylvania are eligible to participate in the annual contest. Each script is read by at least two members of the Literary Committee, comprised of 45 theatre professionals from across the United States. All writers who submit a play receive constructive criticism and encouraging suggestions for continued revisions.

"Young Playwrights encourages student writers to make their voices heard and to take ownership of their work in a professional, artistic environment," says Kristen Link, City Theatre's Director of Education and Accessibility. "We are thrilled to offer middle and high school students the opportunity to engage in playwriting in an active way, and we're amazed with the caliber of writing that we receive each year."

This October, City Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival will showcase a variety of theatrical worlds, including a Depression-era Texas farm, a magical forest of Wonderland proportions, a generations-old pastry shop, an aristocratic mansion alive with intrigue, and more. Characters range from an old man confronting his mortality to a young woman with a rebellious spirit and revolutionary aspirations.

The full festival schedule, including performances and workshops, will be announced in late August. Tickets will go on sale September 4, online at CityTheatreCompany.org or by phone at 412.431.CITY (2489).

Young Playwrights is City Theatre's comprehensive, dynamic approach to arts education serving teachers, students, and the Pittsburgh community. The program fulfills state academic standards, including Arts & Humanities and Reading, Writing, Speaking, & Listening. Four major components make up the Young Playwrights program: the Young Playwrights Teacher Institute, In-School Workshops, the Young Playwrights Contest, and the Young Playwrights Festival.

City Theatre's 38th season begins this fall. Located on Pittsburgh's historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in contemporary and new plays and has brought to Pittsburgh playwrights such as Adam Rapp, Christopher Durang, Eric Simonson, and Jeffrey Hatcher. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director Mark R. Power, and a 45-member 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. www.citytheatrecompany.org

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