Six young playwrights receive world premieres at Capital Repertory Theatre

Winning entries from the Young Playwright Contest performed by

Summer Stage Young Acting Company

ALBANY, NY—AUG. 1, 2017—Six winning entries in Capital Repertory Theatre’s third annual Young Playwright Contest will receive world premieres at the downtown playhouse, Aug. 10–13.

Each 10-minute piece—further developed in exclusive mentoring workshops with The God Game playwright Suzanne Bradbeer—is professionally produced, with costumes, props and sets designed and built by theREP’s staff; directed by Margaret E. Hall; and performed by the Summer Stage Young Acting Company.

Scripts will be considered for theREP’s New Voices event at this fall’s Next Act! New Play Summit 6, and this year, all winners will also receive The 2017 David and Mary Ann Campe Young Playwright Prize, a monetary award for burgeoning writers.

The Sidekick, Jaimie Gaskell, Greenwich Jr./Sr. High School (a three-time winner)—Young Brianna is scared of the dark. Upon hearing her shriek, Pilot, the zany sidekick to local Superhero Zattica, comes to the rescue. Can he help Brianna learn to face her fears and stand up for herself? Perhaps she’ll learn that the world is a brighter place than it sometimes seems.

Curiosity Killed the Cat, Morgan Hughes, Schenectady High School—It’s 2082; time travel is an everyday occurrence. So, it’s no surprise when college student Leon Lewis travels back to the year 2038 for a school assignment. But when Leon chooses a famous actress as the focus of his project, and goes back to the night she died, he finds himself struggling with the rules. Will he break the law and save Grace Johnson, or will they both perish as he tries to convince her that he actually is from the future?

Inside My Head, Joshua Kenna, Rensselaer Jr./Sr. High School—What does it mean to be able to communicate? Climb inside the mind of one young adult with high functioning, non-verbal autism and see how he rises to the challenge, communicating with the world around him. 

The Convoluted Life of Jazmine Blossom, Andrew Sabo, Hudson Falls High School—For trans-teen Jazmine and seven-year old Christie, life after their father’s death isn’t easy, but they are surviving and even enjoying their new home. All that changes when the kids at Jazmine’s new school prove just as mean and unaccepting as those at her last one.

Though I Walk Through the Valley, S.E. Vatalaro, Shaker High School—What if emotions and states of being were actual people? Would they get together and watch movies? Would they gather to have drinks and a gab session? Would Jealousy be jealous of others? Can Misery be happy? Is there anyone that Love doesn’t love? Take a walk through the valley and see.

Familiar Faces, Eden Weinstein, Bethlehem Central High School—What happens when two old friends run into one another as twenty-somethings? Can teenage fantasies come true? Are the two destined to date? Only time will tell. 

Summer Stage Young Acting Company members include: Matt Bonacci (Bethlehem Central HS), Caleb Brady (Columbia High School), Nini Delaney (Fordham University), Morgan Dempsey (Farnsworth Middle School), Liesel Gerstenberger (Pace University), Colin Gioia (Shenendehowa High School), Andrew Makowski (Colonie Central High School), Makiah Massas (Myers Middle School), John McCorkle (Troy High School), Caroline Skrebutenas (Woodland Hill Montessori), Hannah Symanksy (Shenendahowa HS), Hannah Wheeler (Albany High School), Danielle Williams (Albany HS), Jayden Wojcik (Goff Middle School), and Kevin M. Zuchowski (Guilderland High School).

All performances of the Young Playwright Contest are free—4 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. Saturday; and 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10–13. Performances are free, general admission, Capital Repertory Theatre, 111 N. Pearl Street, Albany.

For more information, visit www.capitalrep.org or call 518.445.SHOW (7469).