Young Playwrights' Theater

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New Play Festival

The In-School Playwriting Program culminates in YPT’s annual New Play Festival. The New Play Festival gives students the opportunity to actively participate in the arts by selecting the most interesting and dynamic work written by students that year and producing a professional staged reading at a local regional theater. In 2006 the New Play Festival helped to open the new theater space at Bell Multicultural High School as part of a celebration that inaugurated the space with the students’ own writing. The young authors of the best work produced by the In-School Program play an integral role in the development and production of their work as they polish their scripts with a dramaturge, attend rehearsals, and offer input to the actors and director who will give life to their words onstage. Seeing the final product of their writing on stage develops these young writers’ self esteem and creates positive interaction within the community.

Schools throughout the Greater Washington community now use YPT’s learning process in their English Language Arts classes as well as special elective courses. To apply for the In-School Playwriting Program or for more information, contact Patrick Torres, Program Manager, at 202-387-9173 or ptorres@yptdc.org .

New Play Festival 2008

Friday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Washington DC Jewish Community Center
1529 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Admission is FREE

Join us for a celebration of new work created by the students in YPT’s In-School Playwriting Program. This season YPT worked with students at Bell Multicultural High School, Wilson High School, MacFarland Middle School and Fillmore Arts Center, resulting in the creation of over 175 new plays. The six plays to be performed in the festival reflect the variety and depth of voices found at all levels of learning in our diverse community. We hope you will join us as we honor and celebrate the incredible work of these young people.

Keepin’ Outta’ Trouble, by Pete Hall
A Chocolate Coated Adventure, by Sophie ReVeal
The Black Sheep, by Gerson Blanco
Puzzle, by Engedasew Menkir
Destiny, by Qi Ling Li
Terminated, by Nicole Cacozza

Leadership support of the In-School Playwriting Program is provided by the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs and Target. With major support also provided by the Community Foundation, the Global Fund for Children, the Zickler Family Foundation, and the Humanities Council of Washington, DC.

New Play Festival 2008 Photo Albums

Photo Albums for the 2008 New Play Festival are available here. There are separate albums for each play as well as for pictures from the rehearsal.

The slideshows below will begin automatically. Roll over the image to change the speed of the slideshow. Click on the image to view details and captions for any photo.

All photos by Liz Lynch.

New Play Festival Photo Album

A Chocolate Coated Adventure Photo Album

The Black Sheep Photo Album

Puzzle Photo Album

Destiny Photo Album

Terminated Photo Album

Rehearsal Photo Album

New Play Festival 2007

On February 12, 2007 YPT’s New Play Festival was held at GALA Hispanic Theatre:

Washington pundits and politicians have a lot to say about:

immigration
the war in Iraq
homophobia
violence
drug use
abortion
teenage pregnancy
education
women’s rights

So do Washington’s Young Playwrights. In the 2006-2007 YPT worked with the entire 11th grade of Bell Multicultural High School, resulting in the creation of over 130 new plays.

The six plays performed in the festival address some of the biggest issues of our time with boldness and creativity. They reflect the variety and depth of voices found in a diverse city:

You Don’t Know What You Got Until It’s Gone by Estrella Lopez
Of Friends and Potheads by Lyndsey Newsome
What Goes Around Comes Around by Francisco Garcia
Life is Full of Struggles by Bezawit Mamo
Impasse by Kyle Sumner
Life Choice by Ingrid Contreras

New Play Festival 2007 Photo Album

The slideshow below will begin automatically. Roll over the image to change the speed of the slideshow. Click on the image to view details and captions for any photo. You can also visit the full album of New Play Festival photos on Flickr.