Circle Theatre Embraces Future Playwrights
October 1,2018
Reposted from Circle Theatre
Circle Theatre is gearing up for their annual High School Playwriting Project and announcing a new partnership with the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains. Each year, the High School Playwriting Project begins with invitations to area high school teachers and students to enter 10-minute scripts for evaluation by an experienced panel of judges.
These judges read the anonymously submitted plays and choose 20 plays to send to Connie Whitt-Lambert, theatre professor at Texas Wesleyan University. The panel of judges is made up of local theatre professionals, including playwrights, directors, producers, teachers, and professors.
Additionally, Texas Wesleyan University is offering an academic scholarship to the finalist playwrights, should they be accepted to the university. Texas Wesleyan University will also provide a free workshop for participants on Saturday, October 20, 2019.
If students would like to attend, please RSVP by emailing cwhittlambert@txwes.edu.
The High School Playwriting Project is open to all students and is not limited to theatre classes. Teachers or students wishing to participate in next year’s playwriting project may email hspp.ftw@gmail.com
The deadline for script submissions is Friday, January 11, 2019.
The public reading of the finalists’ plays will take place at 3pm on Sunday, May 5th, 2019 at Circle Theatre. Alan Shorter will direct the readings. A reception honoring the students and their teachers will immediately follow the readings and awards ceremony. The public reading is free of charge and open to the general public, as well as families and friends of the playwrights. Finalist and semi-finalist students and their teachers will receive cash stipends, certificates, trophies, and complimentary theatre tickets as an acknowledgement of their participation and accomplishment.
The 23rd annual High School Playwriting Project is sponsored by the Pangburn Foundation, JP Morgan, Trustee and the David and Betty Sacks Foundation.
Circle Theatre is teaming up with the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains to sponsor the first Stage Write! – Playwriting for Girl Scouts workshop on Sunday, October 14, 2018.
Renowned playwright and theatre collaborator, Allison Gregory, will lead the sold-out discussion in Circle’s theatre space.
During the two hour workshop, girls in grades 4th through 8th will have a chance to complete steps in earning badges, and all participants will receive a patch for the event.
Allison Gregory's plays for young audiences have been seen at some of the country's leading theatres, and include Go, Dog. Go!, adapted from the P.D. Eastman book and co-written with Steven Dietz; Even Steven Goes to War ("Zoni" Best New Script Award, AATE and UPRP awards, Kennedy Center New Visions/New Voices series); Peter and the Wolf (Footlight Award, Best New Play; National Tour with Childsplay, Inc.), Brementown Musicians and Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!. Her plays for adults include Forcing Hyacinths (Julie Harris Playwrighting Award, South Coast Repertory's California Playwright's Award); Fall Of Night (Garland Award, L.A.); Cliffhouse; Burning Bridget Cleary (Footlight Award, Best New Play, Seattle). She has received commissions from South Coast Repertory, ACT in Seattle, The Skirball-Kenis Foundation, Seattle Children's Theatre and Childsplay, Inc. Along with her husband, playwright/director Steven Dietz, and her two children, she splits her time between Austin and Seattle.
Matthew Gray, Circle Theatre’s Artistic Director states, “This outreach is to inspire and spur young people to hone in on their skills and abilities. The response from the Girl Scouts has been overwhelmingly positive. How exciting to have someone as acclaimed as Allison to lead the first of what we hope will be many collaborations.”
Location Mentioned: Circle Theatre