PLAYWRITING  contest 

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2017 Awards Ceremony and Performances


Saturday, March 18  
2:00 pm

Cranford Community Center

 
​220 Walnut Ave
Cranford, NJ 07016


FREE admission to the public

Twelve very talented students will be honored at THE THEATER PROJECT’S fifteenth annual Young Playwrights Competition Performance and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, March 18, at the Cranford Community Center.  These young writers represent ten different high schools and eight different towns. The three prize winners will see their work performed by the professional actors of The Theater Project; honorable mentions will be to be presented with citations and gift certificates. The event is free and open to the public.
 









First Prize:  Jasmine Sharma, Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ

Second Prize: Jacqueline Yang, Northern Highlands Regional, Allendale, NJ 

Third Prize: Kushal Dhungana, Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ
 


Honorable Mentions:
                              Natalie Lifson,  The Pingry School, Basking Ridge, NJ                                      
Hanna Kdiry, Fort Lee High School, NJ    
Payton Crispe, Ocean County Vocational Technical School: Performing Arts Academy, Lakehurst, NJ
Tennessee Woodiel, Columbia High School, Maplewood, NJ                                                
Margaret Condon, Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School
Liana Runcie Columbia High School, Maplewood, NJ                                    
Zachary Espiritu, Regis High School, NYC                   
Haley Correa, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy, Elizabeth, NJ
Juan Garcia, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy, Elizabeth, NJ ​

For high school students 
aged 13 - 18  

Key Dates

  • Scripts due January 20 2017
  • Finalists notified February 2017
  • Awards ceremony March  2017
The purpose of this playwriting competition is to encourage New Jersey high school students to write and also advance their interest in theater.    

High school students aged 13-18 are invited to submit either a short play or an excerpt from a longer work that they have written.  Winners’ plays will be performed by professional actors.

The prize winners will receive cash awards and see their work performed by the professional actors of The Theater Project at a ceremony. Additional writers will be presented with honorable mention citations and gift certificates.

In addition to the award ceremony, The Theater Project is providing free tutorials for any interested entrant in this year’s competition. Each young author has been offered a half hour script consultation with one of the adult playwrights and directors from the Theater Project. They will pass along their experiences with theater in general and discuss the challenges of playwriting. 

Young writers will also have the chance to meet with other contestants and the actors who are performing that day.

 

Submission
​Guidelines

To enter
the competition
  • Entrants must attend a NJ high school  
  • Scripts must be between 10 and 25 pages
  • Scripts must be in play format
  • Original work only, no adaptations
  • One entry per author
1. Fill out entry form 
2.Upload script, author bio and photo
3. Pay $10 entry fee by card or check

2016 winners

Young Playwrights competition


 
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Photo: Rajko Sommer
Standing: Ciaran Dougherty, Noah Sokolosky, Kaylee Parkhill, Alessandra Sommer Alessandra Coccaro, Kasia Kapustka, Imani Pollard
​Sitting: Betsy Zaubler, Ryan Cook, Derek Crosby, Jack McManus, Mary Omilian 

For aspiring playwrights
The goal of the competition is to encourage the next generation of theater practitioners and audience by honoring their work and bringing it to life. The Theater Project is committed to the concept that participation in the arts builds fundamental skills in reading, writing and critical thinking, crucial at all ages.

The competition was originally inspired by a generous donation from Bill Mesce, Jr. who will address the audience. Linden resident Mesce is an award-winning playwright/screenwriter whose novels have been published by Bantam Books.