The Festival is divided into two sessions. Attendees can attend one or both sessions. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students for one session or $15 for adults and $7.50 for students to attend both sessions. For tickets, visit www.ptnj.org or call the box office at 973-514-1787 X34. The Festival will take place at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road in Madison, NJ.
"There is a great variety in the plays selected for the Festival this year. These scripts provide a unique insight into the views and imaginations of the young people of Madison,” said Jim DeVivo, Director of Education. "I look forward to continued development of these scripts and to the further participation of the playwrights during the rehearsal process."
In addition to the Festival, the plays will be performed at each school during the Festival week. On Thursday, March 4, the plays will be presented at St. Vincent Martyr School at 10am and Central Avenue School at 1:30pm. On Friday, March 5, plays from Torey J. Sabatini School will be presented at 10am and Kings Road School at 1:15pm. The performance at the Madison Junior School will be scheduled at a later date.
On Monday, February 22 at 8:00pm, Mary-Anna Holden, Mayor of Madison, will proclaim March “Madison Young Playwrights Month”. The proclamation will be held at the Bayley-Ellard High School, 205 Madison Avenue at the start of the council meeting in Room 320.
“We are very proud of the work these students have done,” said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director. “The plays are invariably funny and moving. We hope to see a lot of our community out here supporting the work of these creative writers.”
The following student’s plays will be presented this year:
The Ocean by Anna Morgan (Central Avenue School)
School President by Ivana Nikodijevic (Central Avenue School)
The Newspaper by Maggie Price (Central Avenue School)
Carl and the Earth by Max Dreitlein (St. Vincent Martyr School)
The Bully Who Was Bullied by Andrew Gannon (St. Vincent Martyr School)
The Haunted House by Sarah Vincent (St. Vincent Martyr School)
The Lollipopman by Rob J. Bazaral (Torey J. Sabatini School)
Ran Out of Time by Lydia Muntone (Torey J. Sabatini School)
One Halloween Night by Kate O'Keefe (Torey J. Sabatini School)
Mission: Impossible by Erin Collett (Kings Road School)
Violet's Life Adventure by Kelly Notine (Kings Road School)
Home...Alone by Chole Youn (Kings Road School)
The Teacher's Pet by Caroline Abruzzo (Madison Junior School)
The Coin by Adam Klein (Madison Junior School)
Our Boat by Brennan Metcalf (Madison Junior School)
A Newsboy, a Time Machine and Mystery by Grace Van Cleef (Madison Junior School)
Carolyn Hunt is currently teaching a playwriting residence at Madison High School. They will present an in school staged reading of select plays when the residency concludes in April.
Throughout the year, Playwrights Theatre placed teaching artists in the aforementioned schools in Madison. At specific points in the residency, parents were invited to listen to the works in progress at roundtable readings. These teaching artists and the program are a part of Playwrights Theatre’s Madison Young Playwrights Program, a partnership with the Madison Board of Education and an initiative of the New Jersey Writers Project, Artists-in-the-
For more information about the Madison Young Playwrights Festival, Playwrights Theatre mainstage series, Creative Arts Academy classes for children, teens and adults at the theatre, Summer Camp, in-school residencies or FORUM reading series, please visit www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787 X10.
Funding for the Madison Young Playwrights Festival is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/A Partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Community Foundation of New Jersey, Travelers Foundation, Dalba Goeller and Company, LLP, Investors Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, The Pearsall Family Foundation, Madison Rotary Clubs, and the Madison Board of Education.
About Playwrights Theatre:
Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional (Actors’ Equity) theatre. A community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators, Playwrights Theatre provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production. Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers. We place an equal emphasis on New Play Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.
We are honored that for the years 2010-2012 the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) designated Playwrights Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Playwrights Theatre to be “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey” (along with Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and the McCarter Theatre Center).
Funding for Playwrights Theatre is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., The Prudential Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, Bank of America, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Investors Savings, Bay and Paul Foundation, E.J. Grassman Trust, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Karma Foundation, MCJ Foundation, The Turrell Fund, Provident Bank, Pearsall Family Foundation, Union Foundation, PSE&G, Travelers, and many other corporations, foundations and individual contributors. FORUM is supported by grants from The Shubert Foundation and The Dramatist Guild Fund.
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Playwrights Theatre is a non-profit, professional theatre comprised of playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators. We provide opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences.
