Arena Stage Announces Winners Of Student Playwrights Project

Arena Stage announces eight winners of the 2009 Student Playwrights Project Ten-Minute Play Competition - an annual event in which Washington, D.C. metropolitan area students submit ten-minute original plays into competition. More than 500 works were submitted from students in 61 middle and high schools.

The eight winning playwrights will receive master classes in playwriting and work with an Arena Stage dramaturg to develop their plays. The plays will then be directed by an Arena Stage director and performed by professional actors. In addition, Arena Stage will host two evenings of readings for the middle school and high school honorable mention plays.

Admission to the Student Playwrights Project performances is free, but reservations through the Arena Stage Sales Office are required: (202) 488-3300. All performances take place at Source, 1835 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Note: Some of the plays contain mature content and language and may not be appropriate for younger children.

Performances of Winning Plays
Monday, March 2 - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, March 3 - 7:30 pm

Honorable Mention Readings
Middle School Readings - February 9, 7:30 p.m.
High School Readings - February 10, 7:30 p.m.

The Student Playwrights Project is a direct outgrowth of Arena Stage's mission to expand the American canon with new work from diverse voices.

The Winning Plays:

A Perceived Harmony by Scott Evan Anderson, Grade 11
Marshall High School, Falls Church, VA

Let Us Vote by Beleicia Bullock, Grade 6
Washington Latin Public Charter School, Washington, DC

A Man Walked Into a Bar by Samantha Cameron, Grade 11
Sherwood High School, Sandy Spring, MD

Brunon's Bookery by Sarah Congress, Grade 12
Hayfield Secondary School, Alexandria, VA

Taps: The Story of a Song by Madison Hartke-Weber, Grade 8
Stuart-Hobson Middle School, Washington, DC

The Bellevue Apartments on Bedlam Lane by Forrest J. M. Penrod, Grade 8
Sitar Arts Center, Washington, DC

The Bear at the Door by Max Rozycki, Grade 12
Yorktown High School, Arlington, VA

Sacrifices by Ruth-Ann Tyson, Grade 10
Central High School, Capitol Heights, MD

The Student Playwrights Project is supported in part by Ms. Toni Ritzenberg.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith, Washington, D.C.-based Arena Stage has become the largest theater in the country dedicated to American plays and playwrights. Founded in 1950 by Zelda Fichandler, Thomas Fichandler and Edward Mangum, Arena Stage was one of the nation's original resident theaters and has a distinguished record of leadership and innovation in the field. With the opening of the new Mead Center for American Theater in 2010, Arena Stage will be a leading center for the production, development and study of American theater. Now in its sixth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 200,000. For more information please visit www.arenastage.org.