ONLINE: CTM Young Playwrights Festival

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courtesy CTM

Performers in the 2021 Children's Theater of Madison Young Playwrights Festival.

Kids not only have wild imaginations but an innate sense of drama, and Children’s Theater of Madison’s Young Playwrights program encourages that. The participants (70 students from four area schools) have been busy crafting their dramas and they’re ready for their staged readings, directed and acted by professional theater artists and experienced actors. The Festival begins May 12 with live staged readings and talkback with the student writers, festival actors and directors on Zoom. Following that, the collection of 10-minute plays will be viewable by anyone on demand from 6 p.m. on May 14 through May 30; links are available at CTMtheater.org.

media release: Children’s Theater of Madison’s Young Playwrights (YP) is an annual program that celebrates giving voice to young writers through the art and craft of playwriting. The YP program’s mission is to develop relationships between Dane County youth, professional theater artists, and educators. It begins with residencies at area-high schools and ends with staged readings at the Young Playwrights Festival in May. This year four schools participated, involving 70 students.

2021 Young Playwrights Festival Schedule:

Wednesday, May 12, 1:00pm - Festival Welcome and Introductions, followed by Staged Readings - TO SEE YP LIVE REGISTER HERE!

Staged readings of student-written one-acts with live Q&A following each of the 10-minute plays with the playwright and Festival producer-director Erica Berman. 

Friday, May 14 Starting at 6:00pm - The residency readings will be available to the general public for streaming through Sunday, May 30, at ctmtheater.org/general/yp-2021-page.

Saturday May 15, 6:30pm-7:30pm: Playwright Gloria Bond Clunie

The event will feature a talk with this award-winning playwright about her career as a playwright and the art & craft of playwriting. There will also be a world-premiere reading of “Night of the Fire Rain”, a new short play by Ms. Clunie, commissioned by The Kennedy Center. Viewers will be able to ask questions through a live chat.

Register here for this Special Event with Playwright Gloria Bond Clunie

Sunday May 16, 1pm-3pm: Musical Theater Songwriting workshop

A participatory workshop for grades 6-12 led by Mark Wurzelbacher where participants will learn the basics of songwriting and how a song can shape a scene. No matter what your level of musical expertise is, you will be able to call yourself a songwriter after this workshop!

How do you write a musical? Where do you even start? In this workshop, led by composer and music director Mark Wurzelbacher, you will get some hands-on experience in writing musical scenes––also known as songs!––and understanding some of the ways that musical writers think about crafting their work. No matter what your level of musical expertise is, you will be able to call yourself a songwriter after this workshop!

Register Now for “Musical Theater Songwriting” - For grades 6-12

THE READINGS AND ALL CONTENT FOR YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL ARE FREE AND AVAILABLE THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 30. CONTENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY DONORS LIKE YOU, TO SUPPORT CTM NOW, CLICK HERE 

During the school residencies, professional teaching artists work with students to develop characters, storyline, dramatic arc, and overall script refinement. By semester’s end, each student creates a ten-minute play unique to their own creative ideas. Student-written plays are then reviewed by theater professionals, teachers, and peers, and students receive written critiques. From these residencies, one to two plays are selected from each school for staged readings at the Young Playwrights Festival, where they are directed and acted by professional theater artists and experienced actors.

“For over a decade, the Young Playwrights Festival has provided a forum for youth stories to be heard,” says Erica Berman, Director of Education and Producer of the Festival. “At turns heartbreaking, hilarious or thought provoking, the ten-minute plays that are celebrated at the festival reflect the world through the eyes of youth in our community."

In addition to the high school residency, CTM also hosts the middle-school program Young Playwrights for Change. Developed in 2015 by the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) & Theatre for Young Audiences USA (TYA/USA), this national program engages students from across the country in a theme-based writing competition.  Area middle school students work with CTM teaching artists to learn basic playwriting techniques, write a 10-minute play based on a theme, and receive feedback on their scripts. One script is given a staged reading at CTM’s Young Playwrights Festival and goes on to represent CTM at the national-level competition. This year, 25 students from 5 schools participated in the program.

The Young Playwrights Festival will be held virtually this year as it was in 2020. In addition to the staged readings of the student-written plays, CTM is expanding the festival this year to include some companion virtual events.    

“The centerpiece of the Festival is the original work by the student writers. With the virtual platform we are able to provide accompanying workshops to all students, everywhere, offering opportunities to explore special topics,” says Roseann Sheridan, CTM’s Artistic Director.  “Curious about how to get started with finding an idea?  Have you ever thought about writing a song?  Want to hear from someone whose career is playwriting?  We look forward to an inspiring and fun menu of options in this expanded festival for middle and high-school students.”  

For more information about Young Playwrights Festival, Young Playwrights for Change and CTM’s accompanying event programming, visit CTMtheater.org

CTM has been the proud steward of the Young Playwrights Festival and program since 2008. The program was established by Shannon Skelton at Madison Repertory Theater in 2006.