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The write stuff
The 18th Annual Young Playwrights' Festival is a yearly celebration of young talent. Each year, the Coterie Theatre premieres 10 short works by local high school students. The festival took place this past weekend at the Coterie, and was an illustrious showcase for our talented local teens.
The 18th Annual Young Playwrights' Festival is a yearly celebration of young talent. Each year, the Coterie Theatre premieres 10 short works by local high school students. The festival took place this past weekend at the Coterie, and was an illustrious showcase for our talented local teens.
To begin with, the students attended "Reaching the Write Minds," a playwriting workshop sponsored by the Coterie. This program is a citywide in-school program to identify emerging playwrights. Facilitators of "Reaching the Write Minds" for the 2009-10 school year were Nancy Marcy, Vi Tran and Meghann Henry.
Selected participants of the workshops are then invited to join the Coterie's Young Playwrights' Roundtable, where they can workshop their own creations and swap feedback with their peers and Jeff Church, the Coterie's Producing Artistic Director. This group meets throughout the school year. When the festival nears, Church selects ten outstanding works to be directed and performed by professionals.
Having said that, I would like to highlight a few of the pieces presented, and recognize all the members of the Young Playwrights' Roundtable for putting on such a great show.
Black Coffee, written by Taylor Kay Phillips (Barstow School) explores the relationship between a boy with extraordinary abilities and the woman who serves him coffee every morning. I loved this piece, not only for the genuine relationship it presented, but because it touched on issues without being heavy-handed. Nick Grant, currently in the Coterie's Frindle, and Kelly Main worked well together and really brought a casual truth to the piece.
Just Friends, by Chelsea Muzar (Park Hill High) poses the challenges of ending a friendship. In a way, it's like ending a romantic relationship, except you can't say "Let's just be friends." What do you do if a friendship becomes destructive? This is a really interesting idea that Muzar poses, and absolutely rings true, for more than just high schoolers.
Stereotypes, by Taylor Ayers (North Kansas City High) retells the story of the nerd and the slacker finding common ground. However old the story may be, the script still held power for the audience, and said something slightly different.
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyed Blues by Casha Mills (Shawnee Mission North) ended the show. This script was tremendous, and was performed hilariously by the numerous actors onstage. While introducing the issue of interracial dating, the script kept the audience from getting too serious about it.
The show was great fun, and absolutely free. Reviewing or not, I will definitely be going next year.
Here is a list of students involved in the Coterie's Young Playwrights' Roundtable.
Members of the 2009-10 Young Playwrights Roundtable
Taylor Ayers (North Kansas City High), Olivia Broome (Trai:lridge Middle), Katy Brown (Park Hill High), John De Luca (Raymore-Peculiar High), Ally Eckert (Lansing High), Allison Enns (North Kansas City High), Rachel Ferencz (Shawnee Mission Northwest High), Chris Fielder (Rockhurst High), Haley Gober (Raytown South High), Jessica Goertzen (Lansing High), Day Harris (Sumner Academy), Jonah Jaax (Barstow School), Ethan Kaseff (Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy), Duncan Laner (Pembroke Hill), Noria McCarther (Notre Dame de Sion), Casha Mills (Shawnee Mission North High), Myracle Morris (Raytown High), Chelsea Muzar (Park Hill High), Natalie Null (Raytown High), Taylor Kay Phillips (Barstow School), Charles "Eli" Purdom (William Chrisman High), Morgan Salisbury (Raytown South High), Toby Sandford (Main Street Academy), Faith Slaughter (Ruskin High), Adavia Thornton (Cristo Rey), Zachary Weaver (Home Schooled), David White (Barstow School), Emma WitbolsFeugen (William Chrisman), Christine York (Grandview High).
REVIEW
Coterie Theatre
The 18th Annual Young Playwrights' Festival
April 28th and 29th
Crown Center, Level One
2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 144, Kansas City, MO
www.coterietheatre.org
Top photo: Members of the 2009-10 Young Playwrights' Roundtable. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder.
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