The Blank Theatre Company's 14th annual nationwide Young Playwrights Festival features 12 plays by teenaged playwrights from across the nation presented by stars Tiffani Thiessen, D.B. Sweeney, Las Vegas's James Lesure, and many other professional actors and directors. Winning plays were chosen by a panel of theatre professionals from 200 plays submitted by teenagers from across the nation. Winning playwrights were assigned a mentor and then a professional director who helped them hone their scripts for production. In the past thirteen years, The Blank Theatre Company has produced 148 plays by teenaged playwrights. Noah Wyle of ER now serves as the company's artistic director.