Our Mission

Young Playwrights’ Theater inspires young people to realize the power of their own voices.

Young Playwrights’ Theater believes that creative expression and theater are valuable tools for the education, enrichment and self-actualization of young people. Through our programs and productions, we fulfill their creative vision by hiring professional artists to guide and perform original youth-generated work for their peers and for the public.

YPT believes that it is important that youth, especially those whose voices are often minimized, have access to high-quality arts education that centers their experience and is culturally competent and affirming for all young people involved. In order to do this work, YPT acknowledges oppression and reduces its harm through our internal and external structures and practices. 

YPT believes that young people are inherently brilliant and we exist to share that brilliance with the world.

Dream big with us as our students transform their communities and their own lives through the power of storytelling!

►IF​ YPT can pilot new programs that ​educate​ students in ways that give them more choice in telling their stories and provide a depth of grounding in playwriting ​THEN​ students will be able to explore their own lives in ways that allow them to be more ​self-actualized​! 

►IF​ students are supported in being ​self-actualized​ through storytelling ​THEN​ they will be able to tell more authentic and​ enriching ​stories ​while living more fulfilling lives! 

►IF​ students are supported in telling authentic and ​enriching​ stories ​THEN​ our productions will be better able to ​educate​ DC communities about the lives, wisdom and brilliance of their young people, empowering students while helping them to change their communities!  

►IF​ YPT can help ​educate ​DC communities about the brilliance of young people through authentic and professional storytelling ​THEN​ YPT will be able to ​gather more resources​ to support young people’s self-
actualization ​and ​help them grow into the great theater-makers that they can be and through that growth revolutionize the genre of theater for young audiences. 

►IF​ YPT can gather more resources to support the ​self-actualization​ of students ​THEN​ we can pilot even more programs that ​educate​ and ​enrich​ students in ways that support them in ​living more fulfilling lives and opening up new possibilities and artistic careers, while producing performances that empower students to instigate change!