17th Annual Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival

If we didn’t tell you the plays were by teenagers, you wouldn’t know.
The 12 best plays in the nation are chosen by a panel of theatre professionals
from submissions by teenage playwrights. Winning writers are next assigned a
mentor and then a professional director who guide their scripts to the stage.
We then cast the plays with some of Hollywood’s hottest award-winning actors
and present the work in a month-long Festival.

Click here for a festival pass!

WEEK ONE: June 4-7

What All School Children Learn by Benjamin Sprung-Keyser
When school bullying becomes too much for the tiniest kid in class, he takes matters into his own hands, much to the dismay of the concerned parents involved. When does bullying go too far and where does its ripple effect end?

I Get Knocked Down by Patrick Howley
With all the trouble in the world today, a group of college kids yearns for the good old days of 1998: Barenaked Ladies. Britney Spears. Monica Lewinsky. They decide to return to happier times by ignoring the present and living as if it were 1998. How long can the "98 Movement" last?

A. & A. by Alexander Nunnelly
The "Superman" of AA sponsors tries to convince a reclusive and destructive man to follow his court ordered sobriety. However, when the man takes the sponsor hostage on a boat in the middle of a hurricane, they must work together to survive the storm…and each other.

WEEK TWO: June 11-14

From Your Sweetheart by Alex Valdez
You thought your life was tough? Have you ever been dumped by a guy in a giant bunny costume? Especially one you’re not even dating?

None of My Friends Are Dying by Sam Mayer
What does it mean to be a part of something? When it seems as if everyone else has lived through bigger things than you, how do you distill what matters most and what identity really belongs to you? If none of your friends are dying for a cause, what cause are you living for?

Blood by Jessica Juhrend
When the mother of three teenagers is murdered, there is no shortage of suspects. After one of her children confesses, the siblings must figure out how to protect themselves and each other from the authorities and their own minefield of wounds.

WEEK THREE: June 18-21

Other People’s Garden Gnomes by Aliza Goldstein
When a wild night of garden gnome stealing ends up in a hospital waiting room, a teenage girl reaches out to her gnoming buddy, a nurse, and her "Fairy Not-Father" in order to make some sense of the chaos around her.

God’s Board Meeting by Lauren Marie Buangan
What happens when Zeus, Thor, Muhammad, the Devil, Abraham, Buddha, Confucius, and Shiva all gather for a summit? A madcap mix of ego, ideology, insults, zaniness, and hilarity ensues. What will Jesus do?

After Maren by Zoe Barker-Aderem
A young man struggles to keep his life intact as his sister’s ghost haunts him. He struggles to unravel the mystery of how she died and how he can heal his relationship with his girlfriend.

WEEK FOUR: June 25-28

Moon on the Horizon by Elisabeth Frankel
When a famous author’s biggest fan wins a lunch date with him, he is stunned to discover the depths of her obsession with his breakthrough novel. Could she possibly know more about his book than he does?

Eye of the Beholder by Joe Larrea & Graham Riley
After a freak eyelash curling accident changes everything for a nervous young groom, he must try to separate looks from love. Can he do it? This comedy will have you laughing down the aisle.

Who Is Morrie Rothline? By Gabriel Nuestadt
A grieving brother reaches out to an eccentric figure from his brother’s shadowy past. However, stepping into Morrie Rothline’s world will be a much more strange and difficult task than anyone could imagine.