Box Office: 650-463-1960
Box Office: 650.463.1960


Young Playwrights Project

 "The Young Playwrights Project was one of the most fun experiences I've had in my life! Being able to see a play that I had written come to life with professional actors and a real director was a wonderful experience that I
never would have expected at a high school age.”


—Penny Burgess, 2010 Young Playwright

The Young Playwrights Project is a unique program that honors TheatreWorks' long-time commitment to cultivating the next generation of American playwrights. The Young Playwrights Project pairs teaching artists with students who are interested in dramatic writing.

Over the course of two months, students learn the craft of dramatic writing, including dialogue, conflict, characterization, scene construction, and how to outline an original story for the stage. By the end of the first month, these young playwrights have had a chance to pen their own original pieces, including monologues, scenes, and their very original one-act play.

Plays from each class are selected for further development. The culmination of the young playwrights’ time and energy is a one-day event where professional actors and directors bring the new scripts to life onstage, working in the same way established playwrights do at an industry level. Readings of each play are presented that evening to an audience comprised of the playwrights' friends, families, and peers.



For more information or to bring the Young Playwrights Project to your school, please call 650.463.7146 or email education@theatreworks.org.