| Home | Calendar | Site Map | 



The Express Tour
The Express Tour shares the work of young playwrights with the greater community in order to create a dialogue that can engage, entertain and educate. 
 
During the tour, our young playwrights 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. 
 
Free performances are held at many D.C. theaters including the Kennedy Center, and the tour travels to numerous community centers, senior wellness centers, schools, hospitals and juvenile detention centers throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

  

The 2008 Express Tour Plays

The following plays will be performed in the Spring 2008 Tour. Each was written by a student in YPT’s In-School Playwrighting Program:

The True Power of Friendship

by Jane Stirling

Bow-wow needs a friend. Perhaps Witch Long Nose who lives deep in the forest can help?  Centaurs and vampire bats round out the cast as a dog and a witch go on an adventure to find the true power of friendship.  

  

The Truth Behind the Hare vs. the Tortoise

by Sandra Villegas

What really happened on that fateful day?  This fresh take on the famous Aesop fable was penned by a student with a strong ear for modern dialogue and a deeply held sense of justice.  Join Snail, Squirrel, Skunk and Deer in cheering for your favorite racer.

 
Love What!? No!? Me a 10 Year Old?! What? Uh-oh!!

by Mayra Rivera

Jacqueline is confused about her new friend, Brian. Some people think he’s....well, stinky.  Is it worth sacrificing her favorite doll to keep people from calling him her boyfriend?

 

The Cast
 

     

Suzanne Edgar
Ricardo Evans 
Sonia Justl
Wendy Nogales
Karen Novack
Fernando Romero

 
Express Tour Photo Albums

The slideshows below feature pictures from YPT’s 2008 Express Tour.  Pictures are organized by show.

To see all of YPT’s interactive photo albums click here.

Photos by Liz Lynch.

 

Photo Album for The True Power of Friendship by Jane Stirling

 

Photo Album for The Truth Behind the Hare vs. the Tortoise by Sandra Villegas

Photo Album for Love What!? No!? Me a 10 Year Old?! What? Uh-oh!! by Mayra Rivera

 

Express Tour Schedule Spring 2008

This year the Express Tour will visit over 35 different schools, community centers, hospitals and retirement homes in less than five weeks!

Week One, April 7 - 11: 

 

Week Two, April 14 - 18:

  • Express Tour Showcase At GALA Hispanic Theatre
  • Kelly Miller Middle School
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School
  • Sitar Arts Center
  • Fillmore Arts Center
  • Pine Crest Elementary School
  • Patricia R. Harris Educational Center
  • Strathmore Elementary School
 

Week Three, April 21 - 25:

 

Week Four, April 28 - May 2:

 

Week Five, May 5 - 9:

 

Book the Tour!

To bring the Express Tour to your school, theater or community center, contact YPT at 202-387-9173.

Single or back-to-back performances are available, with workshops on playwriting, acting or directing available upon request.

 

 

 

 

 

The 2007 Express Tour Plays
The following plays were featured in the Spring 2007 Express Tour.  Future tours may feature these and other plays.  All plays were written by students in YPT’s programs.
Magnet Dude by Kyrtham Franco
 
Magnet Dude has a secret --- metal terrifies him! When a super villain seeks to exploit this weakness, he must face the fact that even superheroes need a little help from their friends. What happens next? Find out in our first play, Magnet Dude, by Kyrtham Franco. Playwright Kyrtham Franco is in the sixth grade at Capitol City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.

True Friends by Clare Mari Rock

When two girls turn against their “know it all” friend Emily, they learn a valuable lesson about life, family and what it means to really be a true friend. Clare Mari Rock is in the sixth grade at Francis Scott Key Elementary in Washington, D.C.

The Enemy Attacks! by Julia Margrit Winkler
 
What happens when the broccoli is tired of being the most ignored vegetable on the party platter? This imaginative play "dips" into the inner lives of vegetables and...humanity...with hilarious and wise outcomes! Julia Margrit Winkler is in the fifth grade at the Francis Scott Key Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

All’s Fair in Love and War by Irene Wu

A long time ago, in a faraway land…when Arina, a beautiful and talented young woman, is handpicked by the Queen to be her new bodyguard, the Prince can’t believe that a girl is responsible for protecting his mother from harm. In this funny and smart play on girl power, the Kingdom (and the Prince) learn that a woman can do everything a man can do and that, in the end, all’s fair in love and war. Irene Wu is a junior at Wilson High School in Washington, D.C.
 

Who’s the Big Bad Wolf? by Christian Blanco

When Brian draws pictures of his step-dad that look like a wolf, his teachers think he’s joking. Little do they know that when Brian’s step-dad gets angry, he transforms from a regular man into a full-blown werewolf. This dynamic and fantastical play shows us how one student can use his imagination to overcome anything. Christian Blanco is a junior at Bell Multicultural High School in Columbia Heights.
Programming
The shows will be programmed for age-appropriate content in the following ways: Elementary (1-5): The Enemy Attacks, True Friends and Magnet Dude; Middle and High (6-12): Magnet Dude, All’s Fair in Love and War, and Who’s the Big Bad Wolf?.
Photo Album
The slideshow below features pictures from YPT’s 2007 Express Tour.  To see all of YPT’s interactive photo albums click here.



  © Copyright 2008 Young Playwrights' Theater. All rights reserved.
  © Copyright 2008 Demosphere International, Inc. All rights reserved.