Lucio: Now. I will tell you my most trusted fellows something truly remarkable. This script. The script I have in my hand is the source of all my power. With it I can write anything.

With this line, playwright Kenrry Alvarado demonstrates a keen understanding of theatrical convention even as he defies it. Such sophistication makes it hard to believe that Daft Desire is only Kenrry's first play.

"I'm a movie buff," Kenrry explains. "My friends come to me when they want to find out what to watch. I watch a lot of movies. When I was writing Daft Desire I was thinking about Kill Bill. I wanted to write from a feminist point of view, to deviate from the usual guys as protagonists. So I made the main character female."

Kenrry's play is a tongue in cheek tale of love, revenge and the power of the mafia. He wrote it as a student in YPT's In-School Playwriting Program at Bell Multicultural High School. His play was chosen from over 450 others to be featured in the upcoming New Play Festival along with seven other students throughout Greater Washington.

Kenrry lives in Petworth with his mom, dad and younger sister. He is a member of the Robotics team at school. They have built a robot that will compete against other teams to kick a soccer ball into a goal.

"I'm at a crossroads right now," Kenrry says. "I'm a well-rounded person. I could go the English route or I could go into chemistry and biology. At the same time, I like writing. I'm thinking about Architecture."

"I hope people who watch my play will learn not to focus too much on gender," Kenrry says. "But mostly I want them to have fun. The New Play Festival will have a lot of different stories all in one night. You have a lot of entertainment. That's pretty cool."

To learn more about the New Play Festival and see the other young playwrights who will be featured in April click here.

For more Promising Playwrights click here.