Theatre Odyssey Awards First VERNA SAFRAN PRIVE to Jake Pettingell

The first Verna Safran Prize ($1,000) has been awarded to Jake Pettingell, a Sarasotan who attends Saint Stephen's Episcopal School, for his play THE REAL WORLD, set in a post-nuclear war era about a family of four living together in a military bunker. Directed by Blake Walton, the play was performed at the festival by actors Owen DeMaio, Jude DeMaio, Ann Morrison (who, with a day's notice, replaced an actor who became ill), and Tony Boothby.

Second place winner Patrick van Eyck's play, THE LAST COLONY, centers on a religious group of hopeless colonists on Mars trying to overcome a moral and social dilemma to save their chance at life. Directed by Tahlia Chinault, the acting team was Katherine Carnes, Michael Mendez, Tony Boothby, David Meyersburg, and Tom Aposporos. Patrick, a student at Saint Stephen's Episcopal School, receives a $500 prize for his Runner-up play.

"We thank The Acting Company and crew for its work and Dr. John Stinespring for his bassoon solos, and our judges Alan Brasington, Kathryn Chesley, and Bob Trisolini. The "show must go on" award goes to Tahlia Chinault and Ann Morrison for quickly stepping into two roles as a result of an original cast member's illness," said Michael Bille, Theatre Odyssey's President.

According to their website, "Theatre Odyssey is a non-profit theater company located on Florida's Gulf Coast in Sarasota. Founded in 2006, the company provides a nurturing environment to encourage, inspire, and challenge local playwrights and actors. The company currently produces two annual events: the Ten-Minute Play Festival in the spring and the Student Ten-Minute Playwriting Festival in the winter. From its beginning, Theatre Odyssey has shared its revenue with its actors, directors, and stage crews and it awards cash prizes to festival winning playwrights."