NJ Governor's Awards in Arts Education 2010

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

I look forward to meeting you and your families there in a few hours!

Casting the Festival

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.

More updates to come in the next few weeks!

Winners and Honorable Mentions of the 27th annual NJ Young Playwrights Festival

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, Bergen County Academies
• Tempus Fugit by James Just, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies

Junior HS

• The Write Way by Cory Gagliano, 9th grade, Mount Saint Mary Academy
• The Tangerine Dress by Janine Puhak, 9th grade, Mount Saint Mary Academy
• It's Good to Be Queen by Laura O'Shea, 9th grade, Mount Saint Mary Academy
• iLove by Hannah Rubenstein and Rachel Chowdhury, 8th grade, Millburn MS

Elementary

• The Million Dollar Cake by Taylor Sorensen, Emily Budine, Maggie Spector-Williams, Alex Vaporis, 5th grade, Spring Garden School
• The Haunted House by Sarah Vincent, 5th grade, St. Vincent Martyr School
• Amanda & the Bully by Kiersten Farrell, 4th grade, Milltown Primary School
• Express from Denver to Geartown by Aidan Carney, 4th grade, Lafayette ES

There were also 5 plays chosen to receive Honorable Mentions. While these plays will not be performed, the playwrights will receive certificates to acknowledge this accomplishment. The plays are…

• John by Adam Milano, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies
• Waiting for Room by Katelyn Diekhaus, 11th grade, Bergen County Academies
• The List by Andrew Singer and David Talpalar, 8th grade, Millburn MS
• Borders by Joseph Politano, 6th grade, Orange Avenue School
• The Adventures of Boyle and Fried by Daud Shad, 5th grade, Wildwood ES

Congratulations to everyone who wrote and submitted a play to the Festival this year. We look forward to working with the winning playwrights on their scripts in preparation for the Festival on May 17 and 18. Critique forms are still being collected from our readers and should be sent to playwrights by early May.