The 2019 Schreiber’s Young Playwrights’ Festival (YPF), an annual drama club tradition, premiered on April 5 and 6.  Every year students work together to write, direct, and act in small one-act performances.

This entire production was created in only a short span of one month, and the fast-paced nature of the show contributes to the cast’s energy and devotion.

“It’s fun because it is very student driven because the students direct and act and everything,” said senior Jared Wofse.  “It’s good that it’s run by the whole drama club.”

This year Treasure Hunting for Dummies, Go Get ‘Em Cowboy, Food for Thought, Define Resplendent, Just Say It, and Clue Jr. were performed and directed by sophomore Gavin Shaub, juniors John Alexander, Hannah Devlin, Micah Golan, Dani Weinstein, and seniors Matt DeMarino, Wofse, and Piper Woods.

The performance of these six newly-written shows were portrayed by 30 different student-actors under the supervision of teachers Mrs. Sari Schulman and Mrs. Gloria Vaserstein.

Some students participated in YPF seeking a beloved sense of community from the drama club.

“Acting in YPF is a very special experience,” said senior Veronica Lee.  “There is a greater sense of community than there is when acting in shows written by playwrights.”

Lee cherishes the great amount autonomy that the drama club students have when cultivating their performances.

“All of the shows are put together entirely by students, from the writing of the shows to the direction, so we get to collaborate with our peers in ways exclusive to the event. I’ve always loved YPF for this very reason,” said Lee.

The topics covered in each show were all extremely unique; no show was like the other.

Wofse directed a show called Food for Thought by senior Daisy Griffin, which featured a restaurant that serves meals named after psychological concepts such as confusion and gossip.

Lee acted in the show Clue Jr. by Hannah Brooks, which takes place at a seven-year-old’s birthday party.  At the event, the kids play “Clue Jr.” and are about to eat cake when they realize that the cake has gone missing. The rest of the act then focuses on the “cake investigation.”

Not only did the student directors and actors enjoy the performance, but many among the student audience commented on enjoying watching them.

“I really enjoyed seeing my peers create and direct short plays because it puts them in the role of writer or director versus regular acting,” said senior Chris Milcetic.

In the end, many found YPF to be a gratifying experience for all.