Phillips’ Mill Announces Winners Of Student Playwriting Contest

NEW HOPE, PA — Six students have won the 2024 Drama at Phillips’ Mill student play writing challenge, "Play With Words."

Only in its second year, Play With Words’ 2024 entries tripled those of last year, “…all of remarkable quality and competition was fierce,” said Play with Words coordinator, Fran Ferrone.

Excepting grade 8, all grades (7 through 12) are represented this year – a range of young life perspectives that promises a robust theater experience when the winning plays are performed
in live staged readings at the historic Phillip’s Mill this March.

The winners are Corinne Brintnall (grade 7, Tohickon Middle School); Avigail Wus (grade 9, Pennsbury High School); Saskia Cooper (grade 10, Pennington School); Srikar Pothuraju (grade 11, West Windsor High School); Finn Anderson (grade 12, Upper Dublin High School – who participated last year); and Matilda Bray (grade 12, Solebury School).

Corinne Brintnall, Tohickon Middle School), and Srikar Pothuraju, West Windsor High School.

Finn Anderson, Upper Dublin High School, and Matilda Bray, Solebury School.

Bray was a winner last year and her work – including her book "Under the Moon as my Sun" – has been widely published. She competes regularly at open poetry competitions.

"Play With Words" was developed to encourage students grades 7 through 12 to explore playwriting as a means of expressing their creative ideas. Plays are juried by professional playwrights and each student receives a written professional commentary.

“We are proud and thrilled to provide an encouraging and informative venue to nurture young writers, and to share their creations with the community,” says Valerie Eastburn, Chair of Drama at Phillips’ Mill.

The public is invited to share this celebration of young writers and their work at the Play With Words staged readings on Sunday, March 3 at 3 p.m. at Phillips’ Mill. Theatre Resident, Griffin Horn, will host the event and share his insights on playwriting with the audience.

Admission is free, donations are encouraged, and registration is recommended. Reserve a seat at https://www.phillipsmill.org/event/play-with-words-reading-of-plays-2024.

The Phillips’ Mill Community Association, established in 1929 in a historic 18th-century grist mill, is located at 2619 River Road, just north of New Hope. For information, call 215-862-0582. Questions: email drama@phillipsmill.org.