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

 

 

Write. Rehearse. Perform.

Give your students the opportunity to write their stories, in their own voice, regardless of experience in theatre. While working with professional theatre artists, students further develop their writing skills. With ongoing revision and reflection, students strengthen these skills in providing and receiving critical feedback.

 

Young Playwrights Project Process

During the first month:

  • A professional theatre artist works with students to build skills in character creation, dialogue development, and scene and story structure
  • Students learn the standard practice for script writing
  • Students learn to give and receive critical feedback
  • Each student writes an original 10-minute one-act play

 

During the second month:

  • The classroom teacher and theatre artist choose 6 – 8 scripts for further development
  • These students continue to hone their script and deepen their storytelling skills
  • On the last day professional directors and actors bring students’ pieces to life for a presentation friends, family, and school community.

 

Click here to Download Young Playwrights Project Overview
 

To learn how this can be applied in your classroom:

Email education@theatreworks.org
Call 650.463.7146

 

Since its inception in 1999, alumni of the Young Playwrights Project have:
  • Gone on to study playwriting, screenwriting, television writing, and film production at such institutions as Wesleyan University, SUNY Purchase, New York University, Chapman University, and Loyola Marymount.

  • Garnered accolades from various writing competitions, including the California Young Playwrights Contest, the New Voices One-Act Competition for Young Writers, and the Austin Film Festival’s short screenplay contest.

  • Had their works produced by RecRoom’s New Works Festival in Houston, TX, and presented as part of the VSA Discovery Award Program’s Page-to-Stage Festival at the Kennedy Center.

  • Founded their own theatre companies, and returned to teach TheatreWorks’ Young Playwrights Project to the next generation of young writers.