City Theatre has announced the six winning entries in the 23rd annual Young Playwrights Contest. The regional competition for students in grades 7-12 grants winners the opportunity to have their plays professionally produced by City and published in the South Side company’s Young Playwrights Anthology.  

And the winning plays are: The Old Therebefore by Caitlin Abbett and Clara Lopresti (8th grade, Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy), Spark in the Cave by Spencer Anderson (8th grade, Belle Vernon Area Middle School), Neighbors by Grace Ruschak (8th grade, Belle Vernon Area Middle School), Souls of River Yewa by Arinola Bejide (9th grade, Pittsburgh CAPA), Stereotyping by Amelia Staresinic (11th grade, Pittsburgh CAPA), and Deus Ex Machina by Margaret Mateya (11th grade, Bethel Park High School). 

“The 2022 Young Playwrights Contest brought us over 250 wonderful stories and voices,” said Katie Trupiano, City’s director of education and accessibility, said in a statement. “This year’s winning plays introduce us to an exciting mix of new worlds that we can’t wait to share with our student audiences. I am in awe of the imagination, creativity and fearlessness of this year’s playwrights.” 

This year’s Young Playwrights Festival will take place between Oct. 25 and Nov. 6, 2022, a return to live and in-person audiences for the first time since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. 

The 2022 festival will be directed by Tru Verret-Fleming and feature a professional design team and local acting company (TBA). 

Educators interested in learning more about City Theatre’s Young Playwrights program can email ktrupiano@citytheatrecompany.org. Watch for festival details at citytheatrecompany.org,

Categories: Arts and Ideas

Tags: 2022, City Theatre, Contest, High School, Middle School, Students, Winners, Young Playwrights