The plays will be presented at the University Center's Little Theatre at Kean University on Monday, May 23 at 10am for the Elementary and Junior High Division winners and on Tuesday, May 24 at 10 am for the High School Division winners’ plays. The readings will feature professional actors and directors and reservations can be made by calling Jim DeVivo at 973-514-1787 X14 or via email njypf@ptnj.org. Admission to the readings is free, but reservations are required, as seating is limited.
In the High School Division (grades 10-12), the winners are Sam Gelman, an 11th grade student from The Pingry School in Martinsville for his play For the Sake of America: A Story of Patriotism. Michelle Cheripka, an 11th grade student from Bergen County Academies in Hackensack for her play Yesterday. Jenna Postiglion, a 10th grade student from The Peddie School in Hightstown for her play The Prologue to After. Justine DeSilva, an 11th grade student from Bergen County Academies in Hackensack for her play Wacky Wednesday. Ms. DeSilva was also a winner in last year’s contest for her play Why You.
The aforementioned winners will receive a New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education, which is co-sponsored by New Jersey Arts Education Partnership and the New Jersey Department of Education, at the Governor’s Awards Ceremony on May 5, 2011, at 4:30pm at the State Museum auditorium in Trenton. The Governor’s Award is the highest honor in arts education in New Jersey.
The three winners of the Junior High School Division (grades 7-9) are Ryan Kelly, a 9th grade student from Union County Academy for Performing Arts in Scotch Plains for her play Cellar Door. Joy Ho, an 8th grade student from Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights for her play Mozart’s Silhouette. Rachel Skerker, an 8th grade student from Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights for her play Winter Sun.
The Elementary School Division winners (grades 4-6) are Finn Gannon, a 4th grade student from St. Vincent Martyr School in Madison for his play There’s Nothing to Do! Elizabeth Kilgore, a 4th grade student from St. Vincent Martyr School in Madison for her play The Easy World. Caroline Hoerner, a 6th grade student from Chatham Middle School in Chatham for her play The Wizard’s Candy.
Honorable Mention went to Emma Q. Baxter, a 6th grader student from Randolph Middle School in Randolph for her play Race. Casey Murphy, a 9th grade student from Union County Academy for Performing Arts in Scotch Plains for her play Time is Fleeting. Lacey Davies, an 11th grade student from Bergen County Academies in Hackensack for her play Happy Days. Molly Kirschner, an 11th grade student from Bergen County Academies in Hackensack for her play Writer’s Iris.
For more information about Playwrights Theatre, visit www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787.
For more information about Premiere Stages, visit www.kean.edu/
Playwrights Theatre’s New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest receives generous funding from 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; and Travelers Foundation, Bank of America, Investors Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, PSE&G, The Bay and Paul Foundation and the Provident Bank Foundation. The New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival and New Jersey Young Playwrights Program are registered to the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
About Playwrights Theatre:
Founded in 1986, Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional theatre and arts education institution dedicated to developing and nurturing the dramatic imagination of artists, students, and audiences. Our New Play Program creates development opportunities for professional writers through readings, workshops and productions, and invites audiences to participate in authentic feedback experiences. Our New Jersey Writers Project, Poetry Out Loud, New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest and Festival, and Creative Arts Academy programs provide a comprehensive and hands-on arts education experience to over 31,000 students, Pre-K through adult.
Writers in the New Play Program are drawn from across the country, including our affiliation with the National New Play Network, a nation-wide group of theatres dedicated to the development and production of new work. Teaching Artists in our Education Programs are professional artists working in their field in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. From 2003-2012, we have been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (along with only four other theatres: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, George Street Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center and Paper Mill Playhouse) as “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey.”
Funding for our activities comes from: 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., Bank of America, the Bay and Paul Foundation, The Bickford Foundation, Dramatist Guild Fund, Horizon Foundation of New Jersey, The Prudential Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Travelers, The Victoria Foundation, and many corporations, foundations and individuals.
Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.
About Premiere Stages:
As the professional Equity Theatre-in-Residence at Kean University, Premiere Stages is committed to serving the cultural needs of the campus community and the northern and central New Jersey regions. Premiere Stages actively engages and enhances the specialized training programs at Kean University while embracing and serving a culturally diverse audience, underserved children, and a broad pool of regional artists. Premiere’
·Arts Education: Introducing NJ children and teenagers to the art of dramatic writing and performance, increasing literacy, facilitating creative written expression, and encouraging collaborative teamwork.
·New Play Development:
·Professional Development for University Students: Bringing world-class artists to the Kean University campus for master classes, offering exposure for student writing and acting through showcase performances, and providing students with professional experience as actors, understudies, and interns in a variety of technical and arts administration fields.
Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Provident Bank Foundation, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, and through the generous support of individual patrons.
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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.
