Pierson High School Students Participate in Young American Writers Project

An original play penned by Pierson High School senior Shanti Escalante recently came to life on stage as part of the Young American Writers Project Playwright Contest.

The piece was selected from among the many entries into the project and staged for an audience at Stony Brook University’s Southampton Campus on Dec. 12.

Preforming in the production were Escalante’s peers, freshman Reilly Rose Scholmbs and sophomore Hope Brindle.

The winning play, “Street Knights,” was drafted for the project as part of Sag Harbor’s creative writing class, taught by Gary Schulman.

“It was exciting and an honor to have my play picked,” Escalante said.

The Young American Writers Project brings teaching artists from Stony Brook University’s Southampton Campus’ creative writing and literature program into area schools to work with students on their play writing skills.

After three months of instruction, each participating student is required to complete a play, which is entered into the Young American Writers Project Playwright Contest.

Photo Caption: Pierson High School students Reilly Rose Scholmbs (right) and Hope Brindle (left) participated in the Young American Writers Project by performing a play written by Shanti Escalante (center) at Stony Brook University’s Southampton Campus on Dec. 12.

Photo courtesy of Sag Harbor School District