tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89971554646253806232012-01-26T16:19:58.250-05:00For over 25 years, the NJ Young Playwrights Contest has been deepening the writing experience for young artists by providing detailed feedback from theatre professionals. The New Jersey Young Playwrights blog continues that mission to provide discussion, instruction and inspiration to interested young writers.Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comBlogger1211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-66898837722811760802012-01-26T16:19:00.002-05:002012-01-26T16:19:58.257-05:00

The scripts are out to readers right now and we will get our first round results in roughly two weeks.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-26127047975567892062012-01-17T09:54:00.002-05:002012-01-17T15:26:57.259-05:00

(updated 3:30 pm) Thank you to all of the young playwrights, parents, and teachers who submitted work to the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival. I have begun the process of sorting scripts, which will be sent out to readers (hopefully) by the end of this week. Please note that we DO NOT confirm receipt of scripts. However, if there is a problem with your submission (for example, a

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-59447965375255906302012-01-13T13:18:00.000-05:002012-01-13T13:18:36.271-05:00

As of 1:15 today, we have 194 entries for the Contest; however, I have noted that a handful of them are entries that are not complete. This means that you either have not sent a script to njypf@ptnj.org or did not finish completing the form online. Be sure to do both! Also, when sending your script to njypf@ptnj.org, you MUST indicate the following in the subject line of your email: YOUR LAST

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-78335796515121597372012-01-12T14:28:00.002-05:002012-01-12T14:28:56.965-05:00

As of this moment (2:30 pm), we currently have 152 scripts in the mix for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival. Keep 'em coming!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-50381028969622781542012-01-10T10:36:00.001-05:002012-01-10T10:41:15.119-05:00

This is the final week of open submissions to the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest! Be sure to submit your work by the appropriate day:  High School (grades 10-12) - script due NO LATER than 11:59 pm on Saturday, January 14 Junior HS (grades 7-9) and Elementary (grades 4-9) - script due NO LATER than 11:59 pm on Sunday, January 15  To submit your script you must do BOTH of the

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-52668809894670958382012-01-05T12:59:00.001-05:002012-01-05T13:00:25.943-05:00

With 10 days until the script submission deadline, I thought I would publish the link to one of our most visited posts: "The Debate About Format". Every year there are many questions about how to format a script submission. Please use the information in this post as a guide. You will find the link below. http://njyoungplaywrights.blogspot.com/2009/12/debate-about-format.html Happy writing!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-49835995774803674612012-01-04T14:24:00.000-05:002012-01-04T14:24:10.257-05:00

We recently read that former New Jersey Young Playwright Festival winner Mary Hamilton (2000 and 2001) was named as one of six finalists for the 2012 Page 73 Playwriting Fellowship. Congratulations, Mary! http://www.p73.org/2011/12/14/finalists-for-the-2012-p73-playwriting-fellowship-2/ (11 days to go until scripts are due!)

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-46492957202493973202012-01-03T10:03:00.003-05:002012-01-03T11:32:17.132-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a creative and inspiring holiday season. Today begins our official countdown to the submission deadlines for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival. While there are two deadlines for scripts, the countdown will mark the days until January 14, which is the date that High School division (grades 10-12) plays are due. So... 12 days

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-66957716602797413372011-12-22T16:05:00.000-05:002011-12-22T16:05:39.742-05:00

A few days before Thanksgiving, I sat in on a playwriting residency being taught by Ben Clawson, one of our teaching artists. He was leading the class in a session where each student pitched an idea for their story and discussed the possibilities (and any questions) with the class. Ben gave some great advice to the students that may be helpful throughout the writing process, but especially so if

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-38171860353969797302011-12-09T10:56:00.001-05:002011-12-09T10:56:21.096-05:00

Playwrights Theatre is looking for ACTORS and READERS for the upcoming Madison and New Jersey Young Playwrights Festivals. Interested persons should complete the online survey found at the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PTNJFestivals2012. Thanks!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-90360415566656345042011-11-22T15:15:00.001-05:002011-11-22T15:15:44.474-05:00

Here is a post originally published in November 2009 with some helpful tips on getting the story started. Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving! ------------------------------------- Hopefully you have jumped the first hurdle of writing your play and have decided on something to write about! No matter how you got started - with a character or plot idea - your play is likely to get stuck without a

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-79048774335348194832011-11-14T13:56:00.000-05:002011-11-14T13:56:22.465-05:00

We're exactly 2 months from the submission deadline for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival. Again those dates are: January 14 - High School division (grades 10, 11, 12) January 15 - Junior HS (7, 8, 9) and Elementary (4, 5, 6) divisions Please see the Festival website at http://www.njypf.org/ for a full explanation of the submission process. Please be sure to follow the directions

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-11330566173961834092011-10-20T13:20:00.000-04:002011-10-20T13:20:23.221-04:00

Happy National Day of Writing! http://www.ncte.org/dayonwriting/about

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-75522617375082054082011-08-10T14:36:00.004-04:002011-08-10T14:38:01.288-04:00

Please note that we have changed the submission deadline for the Junior HS and Elementary divisions of the NJ Young Playwrights Festival. The deadlines are now as follows: High School (grades 10-12) - January 14, 2012 Junior HS (grades 7-9) and Elementary (4-6) - January 15, 2012 Remember that these are "postmark" deadlines, so we must have your submission (script AND survey information) no

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-71937740690603256462011-07-30T12:03:00.000-04:002011-07-30T12:03:45.686-04:00

Today I'm in Chicago to chair a panel discussion about young playwrights programs from across the country. Joining me in the discussion with Playwrights Theatre of NJ will be representatives from Young Playwrights, Inc (New York City), Actors Theatre of Louisville (Kentucky), Pegasus Players (Chicago), and ACT Theatre (Seattle). This will be a unique opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-31061029062938077442011-07-27T22:37:00.000-04:002011-07-27T22:37:23.189-04:00

Playwrights - I've had some delays getting all of your critiques together to send via email. While I anticipated having these to you by now, it's going to take a little longer to get it all together. My apologies for the delay. Thanks for understanding.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-39397708763086796962011-06-29T10:14:00.000-04:002011-06-29T10:14:11.325-04:00

The Festival has a new Facebook address. You can find us at www.facebook.com/njypf. Become a fan today!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-47367667026664884112011-06-24T10:54:00.001-04:002011-06-24T10:55:14.127-04:00

Summer is a great time to start working on a new play! Plenty of time to write and read with your friends. And certainly let us at Playwrights Theatre now if we can be of any help. The submission deadlines for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival are as follows: January 14 - High School / Rewrites / Podstages divisions January 21 - Junior HS / Elementary divisions Please note that

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-70261597489077026222011-06-15T23:18:00.001-04:002011-06-15T23:18:49.467-04:00

I've recently been introduced to Explorati Teens in Colorado. They are looking for a few plays written by teenagers that will be used as performance pieces by their summer camps. Below is the information that I received. Take a look and see if it might be a fit for you. Please contact Explorati Teens directly with any questions. Happy writing! ------------------------------------- Explorati

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-81457537506998222572011-05-27T14:54:00.000-04:002011-05-27T14:54:39.712-04:00

The 28th installment of the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival has come to a close. Finally I have some time to sit down and blog about the experience of the two performance dates. Unfortunately, my picture taking this year was a little shaky and I’m not sure what photos can actually be used. If any can be posted, we’ll put them up right away. Monday, May 23 The day began before 9:00 am as we

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-30787695070523627142011-05-23T00:18:00.002-04:002011-05-23T00:53:38.628-04:00

This post marks the halfway point in the NJ Young Playwrights Festival schedule. We’ve had a packed week of rehearsals and the early morning hour for this entry should indicate that the prep work will continue right up to the morning’s curtain time. We began rehearsals on Saturday at 12:30 pm with the high school playwrights joining us at Playwrights Theatre for a first reading of the scripts.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-45583092209983866342011-05-21T20:58:00.000-04:002011-05-21T20:58:54.197-04:00

In the days leading up to the first rehearsal this Saturday, I’m posting short profiles of some of our high school playwrights. I sent the playwrights a series of questions via email, which will be included in the profile along with their response. Today’s playwright is Michelle Cheripka, a junior at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack. Michelle’s play, Yesterday, was selected as one of four

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-10684417536394346622011-05-20T11:11:00.000-04:002011-05-20T11:11:16.854-04:00

Today’s playwright is Sam Gelman, a junior at The Pingry School in Martinsville. Sam’s play, For the Sake of America: A Story of Patriotism, was selected as one of four winners in the 2011 NJ Young Playwrights Festival – High School division. How would you summarize your play in 3-4 sentences? For the Sake of America: A Story of Patriotism is about an average man named Isaac who has been framed

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-77866440973744927882011-05-19T10:50:00.001-04:002011-05-19T10:50:57.835-04:00

In the days leading up to the first rehearsal this Saturday, I’m posting short profiles of some of our high school playwrights. I sent the playwrights a series of questions via email, which will be included in the profile along with their response. We begin with Justine DeSilva, an 11th grader at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack. Justine was selected as a winner in last year’s Festival for

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-33570397796358434132011-05-11T15:37:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:42:26.099-04:00

We're happy to announce that we will be presenting the two plays that received Honorable Mention in the High School division of the Festival. These plays are: Writer's Iris by Molly Kirschner, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies Happy Days by Lacey Davies, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies The plays will be performed as readings at the beginning of the performance with the four winning scripts

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-21036733561592208712011-05-06T15:57:00.000-04:002011-05-06T15:57:48.671-04:00

Last night we celebrated the work of our high school playwrights at the New Jersey Governor's Awards in Art Education at the State Museum in Trenton. Our four playwrights, along with students from all artistic disciplines, were honored with a medallion and a proclamation from Governor Christie marking their achievement. Congratulations again! With two weeks left to go we're making some final

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-85336911295807258892011-04-26T10:45:00.002-04:002011-04-26T10:45:53.698-04:00

Preparations for the Festival are well underway! Casting is nearly complete and as we head into May, we hope to have some initial conversations with our high school playwrights in advance of the first read through on May 21.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-91721604727346373762011-04-19T10:49:00.000-04:002011-04-19T10:49:33.557-04:00

The New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival now has a page on Facebook. Come check us out! (be sure to spell out New Jersey when searching for us!)

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-6342501463034809672011-04-14T10:34:00.003-04:002011-04-14T10:35:59.866-04:00

Now that all of the winning playwrights and those receiving Honorable Mention have been contacted, I am happy to announce to you the winning plays/playwrights of the 2011 NJ Young Playwrights Festival. High School Division For the Sake of America: A Story of Patriotism by Sam Gelman, 11th grade, The Pingry School Yesterday by Michelle Cheripka, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies The Prologue to

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-89260650175565626792011-03-15T13:44:00.000-04:002011-03-15T13:44:59.862-04:00

I met with the Selection Panel for the NJ Young Playwrights Festival this past Friday, March 11 and we chose the Festival plays in the High School, Junior HS, and Elementary divisions. I will reach out to the playwrights and their families and schools all this week. Rewrites and Podstages decisions will be made by the end of March. First, I want to congratulate everyone who wrote a play and

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-14652440482641378522011-02-25T12:20:00.002-05:002011-02-25T12:20:35.067-05:00

Today is the day that the Second Round of the Festival comes to a close. We already have 13 scripts in the Elementary division that will advance to the final round of judging. I will hear from the High School and Junior HS readers later today. I can't wait to read the finalist scripts!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-20117924322137410342011-02-18T12:01:00.000-05:002011-02-18T12:01:18.861-05:00

Judging for the NJ Young Playwrights Festival recently entered the second round. I've heard great things from the readers - they are enjoying the plays very much! I'm looking forward to reading the plays in the final round.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-17487141986238777302011-01-28T13:06:00.000-05:002011-01-28T13:06:21.548-05:00

There are plenty of opportunities out there for playwrights like you to have your work read, reviewed, and potentially produced. Here are a few programs with deadlines approaching in the next three months, some as soon as Monday! This information comes from a resource for high school playwrights published by the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) and my own research. Some programs

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-30064192852909632652011-01-22T23:04:00.000-05:002011-01-22T23:04:50.233-05:00

The submission deadlines for all divisions of the 2011 NJ Young Playwrights Festival have passed. Thank you to everyone who submitted a play for consideration. I will be processing scripts over the next few days. You will be contacted ONLY if there is a problem with your submission. Otherwise, sit tight and enjoy your accomplishment. Writing a play is difficult work and you are to be

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-83248861415510871852011-01-19T22:20:00.000-05:002011-01-19T22:20:40.589-05:00

It is great to see all of the submissions continuing to roll in to the Festival! Please remember that there are two steps to submitting your play: 1) Complete the Title Page Information survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LHSN5R7 2) Email your play as a MS Word or PDF document to njypf@ptnj.org You MUST complete both steps of this process for your submission to be complete. You will be

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-54580477777176476822011-01-14T14:19:00.000-05:002011-01-14T14:19:07.932-05:00

I just fixed an error on our survey page that was preventing some of you from submitting multiple scripts. You should be able to do so now, but if not, here is the direct link to that page: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LHSN5R7 If you still cannot connect, please contact us via the Festival email address at njypf@ptnj.org.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-87845741723079040702011-01-14T13:26:00.001-05:002011-01-14T13:26:06.716-05:00

As of 1:25 pm today we already have 200 scripts submitted to the Festival! Still 10.5 hours until the deadline for high school submissions and another week to go before all Junior HS and Elementary plays are due. Looks like it will be a big program this year!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-35627139915946541602011-01-13T11:35:00.000-05:002011-01-13T11:35:19.090-05:00

So far this morning I have had an additional 18 plays submitted to the Festival inbox. Looks like the snow day was inspirational afterall! Only 36.5 hours and counting until the deadline for High School, Rewrites, and Podstages division submissions. Keep it up!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-55007290917513377302011-01-12T10:48:00.000-05:002011-01-12T10:48:30.305-05:00

Judging by the list of cancellations on TV, you likely have a snow day today. Great! That means you have some extra time to finish your script submission for the Festival. Remember, high school plays are due this Friday; all other plays are due next Friday. Happy writing and enjoy the snow!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-54055217126621566092011-01-10T10:46:00.000-05:002011-01-10T10:46:26.903-05:00

As of this morning we've already received a significant number of script submissions to the NJ Young Playwrights Festival! Don't  be left out... submit your play today! There are 5 days left to submit a script in the High School, Rewrites, and Podcast divisions of the NJ Young Playwrights Festival. There are 12 days left for Junior HS and Elementary submissions. Please review the submission

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-7943828786089694032011-01-03T16:13:00.001-05:002011-01-03T16:13:16.203-05:00

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that you found time to rest during the holiday break, but also have continued working on your script submissions. We have begun to receive script submissions to all divisions of the 2011 New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival. Just wanted to remind you that scripts for the High School Divisions (High School, Rewrites, and Podstages) are due by 11:59 pm on Friday,

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-63214229061904421372010-12-17T11:14:00.000-05:002010-12-17T11:14:32.150-05:00

Revision is an important part of the writing process. However, as we've found for some of our young playwrights, it can also be the most painful. That makes sense. You've put in so much time and effort to get your play together. Everything feels right and after all that exertion the last thing that you want to do is to start making cuts, or additions, or completely rewrite certain sections. I've

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-42492670111426200632010-11-16T10:31:00.001-05:002010-11-16T11:37:17.148-05:00

Hey New Jersey Young Playwrights! Please take note of another great playwriting competition for which you are eligible: Young Playwrights, Inc. (YPI) in New York is now accepting scripts for their annual national playwriting contest. The YPI contest was the first of its kind in the United States and the inspiration for the festival in New Jersey and many more across the country. YPI runs a

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-22246369697712973392010-10-14T12:27:00.000-04:002010-10-14T12:27:59.420-04:00

The 2011 NJ Young Playwrights Festival is now accepting submissions! Please visit the Festival website to begin the submission process - http://www.njypf.org/. Remember that you must complete TWO steps for a complete submission: Submit your script as a Word or PDF file to njypf@ptnj.org with a subject line that includes YOUR LAST NAME - TITLE of PLAY - DIVISION ENTERED. Complete the information/

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-76043482037914064702010-08-24T11:23:00.000-04:002010-08-24T11:23:58.639-04:00

This took entirely too long to put up here. Glad to be back... Enjoy the pictures... 2011 NJ Young Playwrights Contest info coming soon! Final Draft by Steven Maier A Sister's Gift by Sheli Paige Frank Why You by Justine DeSilva Tempus Fugit by James Just Thanks to Walter Rodriguez for the use of some of his photos.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-17398803717183622792010-05-26T14:00:00.000-04:002010-05-26T14:00:06.441-04:00

We had a great time presenting the work of 12 new playwrights at the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival last Monday and Tuesday. Thank you to all of the actors, directors, crew and Kean TMPO staff who made this possible. And of course, congratulations again to the playwrights! Please continue to write and create. The camera wasn't working too well during the tech rehearsals on May 17, but one

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-19578670891841725342010-05-17T22:13:00.003-04:002010-05-17T22:16:59.093-04:00

Sunday was about becoming familiar with the newest edits from the high school playwrights. The casts also spent the day giving the scripts new life by staging the work. To say anything more would be redundant. Enjoy the pictures! Tempus Fugit by James Just. A Sister's Gift by Sheli Paige Frank. Playwright Sheli Paige Frank and director Maryna Harrison during rehearsal.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-6541783558087763192010-05-16T10:33:00.002-04:002010-05-16T10:34:45.103-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of rehearsals for the Festival. We met first with the high school playwrights and read through and discussed their scripts. The afternoon was one of ideas, questions, and new discoveries of each play. Cast 1 discusses their scripts, Final Draft by Steven Maier (pictured at center) and A Sister's Gift by Sheli Paige Frank (not pictured). Also in this photo are actors

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-76145422764674640852010-05-14T15:29:00.001-04:002010-05-14T15:30:44.165-04:00

Here is one of our rehearsal rooms waiting for the first read-through tomorrow. We can't wait to get started!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-51940403189741026452010-05-13T09:55:00.000-04:002010-05-13T09:55:48.795-04:00

Today is the deadline for all things production - prop lists, program notes, etc. Since we present the Festival as a series of readings, production elements like scenery, costumes, and props are kept to a minimum. We find that this simplified way of producing a play really focuses attention to the story and characters that each playwright has created. I'm directing the reading of Junior HS and

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-84898690133313932162010-05-12T12:07:00.000-04:002010-05-12T12:07:04.719-04:00

Not counting today, there are only two days left until rehearsals begin for the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival! On Saturday, we will conduct the first table reading of each high school play with the playwrights present. In the afternoon, we shift to a reading of the 8 plays from the Junior HS and Elementary divisions. Unfortunately, time and space being what they are we are not able to

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-1193466757936927342010-05-07T13:55:00.001-04:002010-05-07T13:59:07.048-04:00

We've been informed that Requiem by Samantha Berstler, a winning play in last year's NJ Young Playwrights Festival 2009 - High School division, was selected as a Finalist in the Baker's Plays Contest this year. Ms. Berstler has since rewritten this play into a 3-act full-length piece. Congratulations!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-17236870974106187502010-05-03T14:28:00.000-04:002010-05-03T14:28:20.755-04:00

We're all set with our cast, which will be a great mix of actors from our theatre, actors who are new to us, and college theatre students from schools in New Jersey and New York. Today marks two weeks before the first Festival performance - the reading of winning plays from the Junior HS and Elementary divisions - however, rehearsals start May 15, which is one week from this Saturday! Stay

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-26143589935912746342010-04-29T13:16:00.001-04:002010-04-29T13:17:01.145-04:00

Tonight are the annual NJ Governor's Awards in Arts Education. Congratulations again to our High School Division winners who will receive this award at the 5:00 ceremony at the NJ State Museum in Trenton: Steven Maier, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies Sheli Paige Frank, 10th grade, Tenafly HS Justine DeSilva, 10th grade, Bergen County Academies James Just, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-58610779146193937872010-04-16T21:26:00.000-04:002010-04-16T21:26:17.045-04:00

Casting has gone fairly quickly this year and I'm very pleased with the cast so far. There are a few folks with whom I need to follow up next week, but it looks like everything should be set very soon. This year will include a nice mix of actors from Playwrights Theatre and local college theatre departments. We will also have a group of assistant stage mangers (ASMs) for the first time this year.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-22966371830620959952010-04-12T11:43:00.007-04:002010-04-23T15:01:38.942-04:00

The following scripts were selected as winners in this year's NJ Young Playwrights Festival. Plays were selected without knowledge of the playwrights' school or grade. The plays below are listed in no particular order. High School Final Draft by Steven Maier, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies A Sister's Gift by Sheli Paige Frank, 10th grade, Tenafly HS Why You by Justine DeSilva, 10th grade,

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-21383518921182123672010-03-31T02:25:00.002-04:002010-04-12T11:38:50.146-04:00

There it is, the folder containing the scripts from the Final Round and the overall results of the NJ Young Playwrights Festival. I met with the Selection Panel last Friday and contacted the winners of the High School Division on Tuesday afternoon. Junior HS and Elementary winners should hear from my by next Monday at the latest.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-37486671039158852462010-03-30T09:57:00.002-04:002010-03-30T09:57:45.306-04:00

My apologies for the brief take-over of the site by a malware program this weekend. I've deleted the offending gadget from the site and all should be well. Check back for annoucements about the Festival in a few days!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-24865921489974051412010-03-19T11:05:00.002-04:002010-03-19T11:47:33.853-04:00

As the NJ Young Playwrights Festival enters the final round of judging this week, I wanted to inform you of two additional writing opportunities for students that have been brought to my attention. Here is some very basic information about these programs taken from their websites:2010 VSA arts Playwright Discoveryhttp://www.vsarts.org/playwrightdiscoveryThis is a contest sponsored by VSA arts, an

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-47176253073823650202010-03-06T02:55:00.003-05:002010-03-06T02:57:35.997-05:00

The 24th annual Madison Young Playwrights Festival is open to the public. There will be two performances on Saturday, March 6 - one group of plays begins at 1:00 pm; the group at 3:00. To purchase tickets please call the Playwrights Theatre Box Office at 973-514-1787, ext. 34.Congratulations to all of the Madison Young Playwrights! We've enjoyed working on your plays this past week and look

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-20471465289075534912010-02-08T11:04:00.003-05:002010-02-08T11:07:45.963-05:00

Thank you to everyone who submitted a play to the Festival this year. Congratulations to you, too!I know there were some glitches in the new submission process, but we were able to get everyone squared away and in the end over 350 plays were received! That's an excellent number and I can't wait to see how things turn out.As I write this, all plays are currently out with the contest readers of the

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-60870381056765427112010-01-21T13:16:00.003-05:002010-01-21T13:18:23.513-05:00

Just a reminder that the extended deadline for JUNIOR HS and ELEMENTARY scripts is this evening, January 21st at 11:59 p.m. Please note that the online Title Page Information survey will close after that deadline and submissions will no longer be accepted.If you have already submitted your script, please be sure that you entered your information for the Title Page.If you have completed the Title

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-39528996648757340332010-01-14T10:50:00.002-05:002010-01-14T10:58:01.893-05:00

Due to overwhelming interest in the Junior HS and Elementary school divisions of the Contest, we are extending the submission deadline to THURSDAY, January 21 at 11:59 p.m.It is our hope that this extra time will ease up the number of submissions being sent at one time and allow our email server to run more efficiently. Therefore, schools and students who have their scripts ready now should

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-41600163520374144602010-01-08T11:24:00.003-05:002010-01-08T11:39:32.623-05:00

It has been a busy month for me and from the number of scripts that have been submitted already, it looks like it has been a busy month of writing for you, too.Submissions to the High School, Rewrites, and Podstages divisions are due today, Friday, January 8, no later than 11:59 pm. Scripts that are received with a time stamp later than that will not be entered into the Contest.Since we are

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-8568669945648577242009-12-08T12:07:00.002-05:002009-12-08T12:09:37.203-05:00

Hey High School playwrights (grades 10-12), there is exactly 1 month until the deadline for submission to plays in the following divisions:- High School- Rewrites- PodstagesScripts are due by email no later than 11:59 p.m., Saturday, January 8, 2010.Please visit the Festival website for submission guidelines, forms, and other information - www.njypf.org.Happy writing!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-32506884960722104602009-12-05T10:43:00.006-05:002009-12-05T12:36:10.929-05:00

Each year of the Festival, there are more questions about how to format a script than there are questions about anything else. This is usually because when scripts are published into books and included in textbooks, the printers will condense the text to read like a novel and to save space (which also saves money). The result is a script that looks like this excerpt from our sample play, The Day

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-6698587475434194582009-11-23T12:30:00.000-05:002009-11-23T13:01:22.352-05:00

Hopefully you have jumped the first hurdle of writing your play and have decided on something to write about! No matter how you got started - with a character or plot idea - your play is likely to get stuck without a clear sense of how and why the dramatic action occurs.In the first few scenes of a play, the audience learns about a main character(s) everyday life. This includes what he/she does,

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-47174101164391384202009-11-12T16:30:00.002-05:002009-11-12T16:35:42.142-05:00

Two plays from the 2009 New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival will be read at the Theatrix! Festival this Saturday, November 14 at New York University.The program begins at 4:30 pm with a reading of the new full-length version of Requiem by Samantha Berstler. At 7:30, there will be a series of readings of short plays that will include The Art of Interrogation by Fallon Schlossman, Rebecca Van

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-64976320459306553852009-10-23T16:26:00.006-04:002009-10-23T19:55:05.610-04:00

Here is a great opportunity for young playwrights (up to age 18) in New Jersey, Connecticut, and NYC, and the surrounding areas in New York State. The submission deadline is VERY soon, but if you've got a 10-minute script lying around, or something that you wrote for the NJ Young Playwrights Festival last year (or the year before), send it in!-----------------------------------------------------

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-29022230220837345102009-10-09T10:34:00.002-04:002009-10-09T10:41:36.746-04:00

Welcome back! To school, to the blog, to the act of writing a play. I hope that your summer ended on a good note and that the return to school has been successful.Students in the Madison and Cranford Schools returned to the annual Madison and Cranford Young Playwrights Programs over the past few weeks. There is some phenomenal turnout in both programs, particularly at the schools where students

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-11894495655738079202009-08-25T10:49:00.002-04:002009-08-25T10:52:28.071-04:00

This past Sunday, August 23, we received the first submission for the NJ Young Playwrights Festival 2010! What is additionally exciting is that the script was for the all new Podstages division for high school students.So, if you've got your play ready, don't wait for the school year to start. You can submit a script by visiting the Festival website at www.njypf.org. Be sure to follow the

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-41509649345540493902009-08-11T07:47:00.003-04:002009-08-11T07:53:33.112-04:00

Since Saturday, I have been attending the joint AATE/ATHE conference in New York. These organizations are communities of theatre educators and practicioners at all levels of education throughout North America. It has been great meeting other artist/educators and discussing their work. I had the priviledge to speak on a Debut panel about my work with you young playwrights through the local and

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-354972940137194592009-08-03T15:04:00.003-04:002009-08-03T15:22:32.383-04:00

The NJ Young Playwrights Contest/Festival has done some retooling for 2010! There is a new web address, a new division, new submission guidelines, and a new process for submitting your work. You can check it all out at http://www.njypf.org.NEW SUBMISSION GUIDELINESThe biggest change for NJYPF 2010 is the submission process. We are now accepting scripts via internet submission. Plays MUST be

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-12022588881266228952009-07-16T14:49:00.004-04:002009-07-16T15:19:28.921-04:00

It's been a busy summer at Playwrights Theatre. Tomorrow ends our second session of Summer Theatre Camp and then there are three more sessions to go! (Still room in our classes, too. Click here to check it out and to sign up for a class - http://www.ptnj.org/PubCL/ClassDescriptions.htm#summer) In our first session, the students in the Playwriting Lab wrote their own short plays under the

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-9869854161437850342009-06-29T12:16:00.004-04:002009-06-29T13:15:33.959-04:00

The following is a reflection about the writing and Festival process written by Samantha Berstler. Her play, Requiem, was produced during the NJ Young Playwrights Festival 2009.I am addicted to theatre - which is interesting, since I'm no actor. Instead, I like to slip into the very sinews of a performance. I like to mold, to craft. To be brief, I write plays.I wrote my first script at age ten

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-35642793691726151982009-06-17T11:48:00.003-04:002009-06-17T12:05:26.353-04:00

Mary Hamilton, a winner of the NJ Young Playwrights Festival in 2000 and 2001, will have her new play, We Three, produced at the PlayPenn 2009 conference in Philadelphia on Sunday, July 26th.Mary's award winning plays in the NJ Young Playwrights Festival include The Original in 2000 and Grandfather's House and A Room, both in 2001. According to the biography listed at the PlayPenn website, Mary "

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-69833224149804010902009-06-10T11:17:00.004-04:002009-06-10T11:36:25.737-04:00

Since 2004, Playwrights Theatre has hosted a pair of performance troupes as part of the Creative Arts Academy offerings. I began the Youth Troupe ensemble (grades 6-8) in 2004 by directing a group of 13 students in the creation of an original devised piece. The Troupe program grew the following year with the addition of Teen Troupe (grades 9-12) under the direction of Alysia Souder. The

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-8356329336401624882009-06-04T14:16:00.003-04:002009-06-04T14:19:38.467-04:00

Here is a link to an article at the Paramus Post about the 17th annual Young Playwrights Festival of Bergen County conducted by Bergen Community College. One of the winners in this contest is Kate Moore Heaney from Bergen County Academies for her play Upstage. Her play was also a finalist in the NJ Young Playwrights Festival 2009. This means that her play reached the final round of judging in our

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-59772991066393389782009-05-29T12:45:00.006-04:002009-05-29T12:59:38.114-04:00

On Tuesday, May 19th, we staged the four plays from the High School Division (photos from the tech rehearsal can be found a few posts below this one). As a staged-reading, the actors still performed with a script in hand, but we were able to add some blocking and minimal production details like sound and lights to give a sense of what the play might be like on stage. The tech staff at Kean was

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-32797399207012584602009-05-21T11:34:00.007-04:002009-05-29T12:44:39.163-04:00

The Festival performances began on Monday, May 18 with a reading of the plays from the Junior HS and Elementary School Divisions - 8 plays in total! As a reading, the actors performed with their scripts on stands at the front of the stage. Costume pieces like hats, or glasses, and some props were used to indicate locations, or other important bits of information. Presenting plays in a format like

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-14500764025685893602009-05-19T15:16:00.015-04:002009-05-19T15:36:42.819-04:00

Here are some pictures from the high school division tech rehearsals on Monday afternoon.'TIL DEATH DO US PART by Jennifer Woods Tara Henderson as Madison and Jonathan Silver as Caleb.SUITCASE by Tyler McGuckin Scott Morales as O'Connell and Jonathan Silver as Cohen.(That first picture is of O'Connell attacking Cohen. Blurry, but a neat picture.)REQUIEM by Samantha Berstler (l - r) Alannah

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-41751496874213544812009-05-18T23:00:00.012-04:002009-05-19T15:47:55.371-04:00

Some pictures from rehearsal on Sunday morning...Jack Moran (left) and Paul Reisman (right) rehearse a scene from Requiem.Alannah Potter and Jack Moran rehearse Requiem.Stephen Davis and Tyler McGuckin watch rehearsal of Tyler's play, Suitcase.Jonathan Silver (left) and Scott Morales (right) rehearse Suitcase.Pictures from tech posted tomorrow!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-87512790733252067972009-05-17T18:36:00.004-04:002009-05-17T18:56:50.502-04:00

9:30 AM! Who rehearses at 9:30am on a Sunday? We do!!Very productive day two rehearsal sessions.Got the new script from Samantha (excellent re-working of the doctor scene) and staged Requiem in the morning session. New version runs about 20 minutes or so. Some complicated staging required, but the actors were quite good at making it look easy and natural after a few run-throughs. Sam told us

Jim Ligonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06302072289732424849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-20624813626784802702009-05-17T09:13:00.012-04:002009-05-18T22:59:44.991-04:00

Here are some pictures from the read thrus of the high school plays on May 16th. Captions are below each picture. Ben Muzi (center), author of About to Pop!, listens to the read-thru of his play.Also pictured are (at left) Jim Ligon, director, and actors Jack Moran (right) and Alannah Potter (back to camera).Jeff Ronan (center) plays Andy, the main character in About to Pop!Stephen Davis gives

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-62193531104464384512009-05-16T15:57:00.003-04:002009-05-16T16:20:59.588-04:00

Read through the two plays I'm directing today. Requiem by Samantha Berstler, and About to Pop by Ben Muzi. Also, was able to stage most of About to Pop. (Thanks to all the actors for following my lightening fast blocking notes and staying on top of it all.)I love this stuff. Working with new writers, fresh ideas and different voices. Requiem is a very mature and complicated play about a

Jim Ligonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06302072289732424849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-27331498424532909862009-05-16T11:59:00.002-04:002009-05-16T12:02:05.038-04:00

We're only half an hour away from the first rehearsal of the NJ Young Playwrights Festival 2009. I'm stealing a moment from my last minute preparations to invite you to check back regularly as members of the Festival production team may be posting throughout the rehearsal process. Check back soon!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-82491420091598745872009-05-14T15:50:00.001-04:002009-05-14T15:51:51.142-04:00

Check out the link below for a feature article on two of our playwrights from the Elementary Division.http://www.theneighbornews.com/NC/0/2628.html

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-81506342712771803042009-05-13T10:22:00.001-04:002009-05-13T10:24:42.471-04:00

There is still time to make a reservation for the NJ Young Playwrights Festival on either date (or both):- May 18 @ 10:00 am - a reading of the Junior HS/Elementary plays- May 19 @ 10:00 am - a staged-reading of the High School playsSpace is limited for both sessions, so please call as soon as possible if you wish to attend. Let your friends and family know!

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-4434531925696851772009-05-08T16:13:00.003-04:002009-05-08T16:21:56.307-04:00

Earlier this week I hired the last actor for the Festival, so our cast is now complete. This is a versitile group of performers with a strong group of plays, so I'm looking forward to getting started next Saturday, May 16th with the read-through rehearsals.The scripts were sent to the actors yesterday and I've already begun to hear about their excitement to perform. I've read each of the 12 plays

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-9747181859391420292009-04-30T10:20:00.002-04:002009-04-30T10:25:37.949-04:00

Congratulations to the 8th grade students at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff. This past Tuesday, April 28th, Playwrights Theatre conducted an in-school assembly performance of selected student-written work. This event was the final celebration of a series of playwriting residencies with playwrights Carolyn Hunt and Dominique Cieri in which every 8th grade student wrote a one-act play.We had a

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-87268860932836680522009-04-23T13:17:00.003-04:002009-04-23T13:20:18.452-04:00

Here's a link to an article about the NJ Young Playwrights Festival in The Alternative Press.http://thealternativepress.com/article.asp?news=2873As their website states: "TheAlternativePress.com is the all-online hyperlocal daily newspaper of the State of New Jersey, currently serving the residents of Berkeley Heights, Livingston, Madison, Millburn/Short Hills, New Providence, and Summit, New

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-48890253190544816982009-04-15T10:02:00.003-04:002009-04-15T10:07:38.184-04:00

By now, all of our young playwrights with plays scheduled for presentation at the Festival should have been notified and we are beginning the process of casting the shows. I'm hoping to wrap up this process by the end of April.Also, the response from playwrights' schools has been outstanding! I have received inquiries from all but one school regarding their intent to attend the Festival. This is

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-29042502353451236832009-04-05T00:05:00.003-04:002009-04-05T00:15:05.168-04:00

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLBeyond the Paint by Caroline Gelinne, 9th grade, Mount Saint Mary AcademyWhat We Remember by Melina Murray, 9th grade, Glen Ridge High School The Art of Interrogation by Fallon Schlossman, Rebecca Van Voorhees, and Lydia Gracey, 8th grade, Millburn Middle School Star Crossed Lovers by Viraj Khetani, Lindsay Maron, and Anna Gracey, 8th grade, Millburn Middle School ELEMENTARY

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-40371821598285291042009-03-26T12:48:00.005-04:002009-03-27T14:49:40.445-04:00

The winners in the High School Division of the 26th annual New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest are:Requiem by Samantha Berstler, 11th grader at Villa Walsh AcademyAbout to Pop! by Ben Muzi, 12th grader at Lawrence High SchoolSuitcase by Tyler McGuckin, 11th grader at Bergen County Academies'Til Death Do Us Part by Jennifer Woods, 11th grader at Bergen County AcademiesThese plays are listed in no

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-36528347107860950452009-03-23T11:22:00.005-04:002009-03-23T11:28:08.726-04:00

Today is the first day of the 23rd annual Madison Young Playwrights Festival!This afternoon we will begin with a read-through of all 16 plays with most of the playwrights on hand. Rehearsals will run throughout the week with three sets of performances: on Thursday and Friday we will conduct a staged reading at the four participating schools; on Saturday, all 16 plays will be featured on our main

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-50798159149670673302009-03-18T20:58:00.005-04:002009-03-19T08:43:40.124-04:00

That old envelope contains the results of the 26th annual New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest. Over the next few days I will be contacting the 12 playwrights whose work has been selected for presentation during the Festival. Check back next week as the results will be posted then.

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-778552961011142132009-03-10T10:37:00.004-04:002009-03-10T10:47:52.815-04:00

I wanted to pass along some information about a website that I perused this morning - ReadWriteThink.org. This site is a partnership between the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English and appears to be a collection of curriculum tools for teachers, but also contains some interactive writing guides for students.I have not yet had the chance to look at the

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-15214084967946525942009-03-05T11:27:00.004-05:002009-03-05T11:34:30.984-05:00

It has been a very quick three weeks of judging. We are suddenly down to our final round of the NJ Young Playwrights Contest and I am currently in the process of forwarding the Finalist scripts to the members of the Selection Panel.In a few weeks, I will meet with the Selection Panel to decide the four plays from each division that will receive a staged-reading during the NJ Young Playwrights

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-79421614888635792332009-02-10T14:18:00.003-05:002009-02-10T14:26:28.359-05:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at the theatre. We received nearly 400 scripts from young playwrights across New Jersey! They are all currently with our Contest Readers who are reading the plays and writing feedback to each writer. The reports I get from the Readers are filled with excitement. I can't wait to get a look at some of the scripts.The first round of the Contest will wrap up

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997155464625380623.post-62459826568213617112009-01-19T15:04:00.001-05:002009-01-19T15:05:40.484-05:00

Congratulations to all the playwrights who submitted a play to the NJ Young Playwrights Contest 2009! It takes a substantial amount of work and energy to put your words on paper. And it takes a strong sense of confidence to set those words out into the world. Thank you for sharing these thoughts and stories with us. I can’t wait to begin reading your scripts.Thanks and congratulations are also

Director of Educationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14777053984472907922noreply@blogger.com