The Young Playwright Festival is an annual event put on by the Schreiber Drama Club where students get to showcase their self-written plays.  The festival is normally held during the spring season, but it has been canceled the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, it will be held at Schreiber High School on Apr. 29, and all Schreiber students are welcome to attend free of charge.  The Young Playwrights Festival is led by teachers Ms. Lally and Ms. Schulman, and all  plays that will be performed are written, directed, and performed entirely by Schreiber students.

Each short play is around ten minutes long and is performed by small groups of actors, ranging from two and five people.  The student directors this year are Natalie Parker, Anna Scott, Tessa Klugman, Hannah Brooks, and Sarika Israni.  A few of them are participating in YPF as a part of their senior experience.

“Writing for YPF is always really fun because you finally have a chance to show all the

ideas you’ve been wanting to put on the stage.  Not only do you get to see how the

actors interpret your character, but also how the director interprets the show as a

whole,” said senior Lara Ozcayir. 

Many of the seniors involved with the project have been involved with Schreiber Theater throughout high school and performed in Schreiber plays and musicals such as this year’s performances of Puffs and The Addams Family. 

“It’s always exciting to see the students’ work come to life on stage,” said Ms. Schulman. 

This year, five one-act plays will be performed at the festival.  They are Speechless, by Hannah Brooks, The Weird and the Weirder, by Alex Parker, Inconvenience, by Lara Ozcayir, The Video, by Sabrina Grossman, and A Little Story about Eternal Judgment, by Natalie Parker. The students involved with YPF have been working on their projects since early March and have been rehearsing at least twice a week for the past month, both inside and outside of school. 

“It’s so much fun to work with directors that are also students and perform in plays written by my friends.  I love the laid back approach to rehearsals that the student-directors take, and I think all our hard work has warranted amazing results.  YPF is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in writing, directing or performing,” said sophomore Averie Masia. 

The entire production involves 24 students, including writers, directors, and actors.. 

“With student directors and student cast members, the shows involve a kind of camaraderie that doesn’t exist in bigger productions.  Everyone truly works together to create the best show they can, and the experience is genuinely one of a kind,” said senior Natalie Parker.

The students involved with YPF are excited to share their hard work and creative

projects with their peers at the Young Playwrights Festival. 

“I’m excited to watch my friends showcase their original work, and I’ll definitely be there supporting them,” said sophomore Tess Romero.

The Young Playwrights Festival will be held in the Schreiber auditorium on Apr. 29 and Apr. 30.