All the World’s a Stage for Young Playwrights
By Susan Nolan
Even Shakespeare had to start somewhere. Young playwrights in Chesapeake Country can start their theatrical careers with the 17th Annual Kids’ Playwriting Festival.
Hosted by the Calvert County-based Twin Beach Players, the festival is open to students throughout Maryland, whether public, private, or home-schooled. Students can enter the festival in one of three divisions: elementary school, middle school, and high school. Theater and/or playwriting experience is not a prerequisite for entry, and participants are encouraged to submit plays on topics that interest them.
“In the past, some of the winning plays have dealt with serious subject matters like smoking,” says Audra Vernier, Twin Beach Players president, “but comedies and romances have also won.”
Winning scripts win $100 and a production before a live audience in August.
While a script may include a brief song or music as part of the action, the plays should not be a musical. Otherwise, plays of any genre are allowed, and there is no limit to the number of scenes. Suggested length of plays are 3-15 minutes for elementary, 7-20 minutes for middle school, and 10-15 minutes for high school. Judges reserve the right to award prizes to plays that fall outside of length guidelines but longer plays cannot be produced.
Plays must be an original creation of one student—which means no collaborations or adaptations allowed. While adults may give general advice about dramatic form, the action, dialogue, and characters must be the work of the student. Participants may submit more than one script for consideration.
Three judges will choose the winners and a total of six winning plays will produced and performed in North Beach. Prizes will be awarded based on imagination and human values as well as play writing skill. The age and grade of the playwright will be taken into consideration.
Entries must be postmarked no later than April 15, and winners will be notified by June 1. Submit plays to Twin Beach Players, P.O. Box 600, Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732, ATTN: Audra Vernier, or via email to [email protected]. A completed entry form must accompany each play: twinbeachplayers.org.