Jemicy Graduate Winner of the Kennedy Center's VSA Playwright Discovery Competition, Recognizing Excellence in Young Playwrights

Chase Andre, a 2014 middle school graduate of Jemicy School in Owings Mills, was selected by VSA, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as a winner of the 2014 VSA Playwright Discovery Competition. Winners from all over the country were chosen in three divisions: Senior Division (grades 10-12), Junior Division (grades 8-9), and Primary Division (grades 6-7).

Andre, now a freshman at Friends School, was recently selected as a Junior Division winner. He was inspired to author his script when Center Stage Outreach visiting artist Susan Stroupe spent two weeks working with Jemicy middle school students class last year. He wrote what can be considered a dyslexia allegory about a kingdom where everyone expresses themselves by song. There was however, one character who couldn’t sing, and he ends up changing the social order of the empire. As a winner, Andre will receive a Kennedy Center certificate of achievement, and Jemicy School will receive $500 to put towards arts programming for students with disabilities.

The VSA Playwright Discovery Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program, is an annual competition that invites middle and high school students with and without disabilities to examine the disability experience and express their views through the art of script writing. The program was begun in 1984 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, and has continued annually since. This year’s recipients were chosen from more than 400 applications nationwide.

“We are delighted to recognize the work of this talented student,” said Betty Siegel, Director of VSA and Accessibility at the Kennedy Center. “Chase has written a play that delves into the disability experiences from his own very personal unique perspective. We are proud to provide opportunities to enhance student engagement in the arts and arts education.”