Young Playwrights' Theater Debuts NEW WRITERS NOW! - SAVE THE DAY Readings Today

Today, November 18, 2013, at 7pm, Young Playwrights' Theater (YPT) premieres New Writers Now! - Save the Day, a free reading of outstanding new plays in the ballroom of the Josephine Butler Parks Center (2437 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009).

Kicking off YPT's 2013-2014 season, Save the Day will present five original student-written plays from YPT's In-School Playwriting Program. The In-School Playwriting Program integrates the art of playwriting into the classroom in order to enhance student literacy, creative expression and communication, serving over 1,500 elementary, middle and high school students annually throughout Greater Washington. The five plays debuting in Save the Day were written by playwrights from Swanson Middle School, Marie Reed Elementary School, Bancroft Elementary School, Powell Elementary School and Bell Multicultural High School. The action-packed and hilarious plays feature a range of characters, including talking books, a cat with unusual abilities and a superhero named Captain Awesome.

This is the first time that YPT will be performing in the Butler Center. Embracing a "theater without walls" philosophy, the organization is seeking to reach new venues this season, helping young writers discover the value of sharing their work with new audiences across DC and recognize that the community at large is invested in their stories. They will be presenting their second New Writers Now! production this coming February at Theater J, giving an opportunity for people across the city to support and empower the voices of students.

New Writers Now! is a staged reading series featuring professional actors performing plays fresh from the classroom, followed by a community discussion about the plays with the playwrights. This year, YPT is hosting a reception with hors d'oeuvres before the performance at 6:30pm, providing an opportunity for the audience to mingle with the actors and playwrights.

All of the plays featured in Save the Day were finalists for YPT's 2013 New Play Festival in April. Thirty finalists were chosen from over 800 plays for the Festival.

"We were so impressed with the work of last year's finalists that we are excited to have the opportunity to produce them this fall," says Executive Director Brigitte Moore. "These five playwrights show incredible imagination, creativity and humor in their work, and we hope they keep writing for a long time."

Young Playwrights' Theater teaches students to express themselves clearly and creatively through the art of playwriting. Through interactive in-school and after-school programs, YPT activates student learning and inspires students to understand the power of language and realize their potential as both individuals and artists. By publicly presenting and discussing student-written work, YPT promotes community dialogue and respect for young artists. More information can be found at www.yptdc.org.

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