Young Playwrights Contest Seeks Budding Shakespeares, Albees and Mamets

in Madison is currently accepting submissions for the 29th Annual New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest.

Plays are accepted in the following divisions: Elementary (grades 4-6), Junior High (grades 7-9), High School (grades 10-12), and interested young playwrights must submit their plays online at www.njypf.org. Submissions must be received by Jan. 14 for playwrights in grades 10-12, and by Jan. 15 for playwrights in grades 4-9. Scripts will be reviewed by theater professionals from across the country and a written critique will be provided to each playwright, the company stated in a release.

Select plays will be chosen for further development and a public reading at Premiere Stages at Kean University in May and as part of Playwrights Theatre’s Annual Forum Reading Series in December. For complete details and submission guidelines, visit www.njypf.org, or contact Jim DeVivo, Direction of Education at 973-514-1787, x-14 or jdevivo@ptnj.org, or visit the New Jersey Young Playwrights Blog at http://njyoungplaywrights.blogspot.com.

There may be up to three winners in each division. High School winners receive a New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership and the New Jersey Department of Education. Winning playwrights who individually write their play (i.e., without a co-author) may be eligible to receive a scholarship to attend Camp Premiere, the summer theatre program at Premiere Stages. Elementary and Junior High school award recipients will receive Certificates of Achievement.

For the seventh consecutive year, winning plays will be presented in May as staged readings with professional actors and directors during the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival, a partnership between Playwrights Theatre and Premiere Stages at Kean University. Admission to the readings is free, but reservations are suggested, as seating is limited.