40th Annual Plays by Young Writers

40th Annual Plays by Young Writers – Productions, Staged Readings & Night of Celebration

SPONSORED BY

The Sheila & Jeffrey Lipinsky Family Fund and The U.S. Bank Foundation
Plays by Young Writers is produced by Playwrights Project.

SCHOOL MATINEES

Wednesday, February 26 – 10 AM
Thursday, February 27 – 9:30 AM and 12 PM
Friday, February 28 – 10 AM

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES

Saturday, March 1 – 6:30 PM – NIGHT OF CELEBRATION
*Public Celebration includes a pre-show reception with the writers.
Please note that online ticket sales end twelve hours prior to the performance.

Playwrights Project’s 40th Plays by Young Writers Festival, sponsored by the Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky Family Fund and US Bank, a live performance featuring winning scripts from the 2024 California Young Playwrights Contest.

One Ticket: $50 per individual
Pay What You Can options are available to make the Festival accessible for all. We ask you to consider paying full price if you can, and invite you to choose the ticket option that works best for you.

FULL PRODUCTIONS

Losing Hope
by Kaya Sparnicht (age 17, Irvine)
Clashing ideologies over AI tear sisters apart in a dystopian future.

Ghost with the Most
by Jenna Knott (age 17, San Diego)
A quirky millennial and an eccentric ghost team up to rid their home of unwanted guests.

Cheaters
by David Hernandez (age 16, Santa Ana)
Students suspected of academic dishonesty find solace in one another.

STAGED READINGS

The Farewell to Esc
by Aldo Ledesma (age 13, San Diego)
A lonely PC searches for purpose when its owner stops playing video games.

Ride the Wave
by Jaydon Franco (age 10, San Diego)
Three hermit crabs learn life lessons on a shell-tastic adventure.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Acknowledgements

Playwrights Project gratefully acknowledges major support for this program from:

Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky Family Fund

The U.S. Bank Foundation

Additional support provided by:
California Arts Council
City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture
The Prebys Foundation
Sidney E. Frank Foundation
The Samuel I. & John Henry Fox Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
The Arthur and Jeanette Pratt Memorial Fund

FINAL JUDGES

Many thanks to the acclaimed theatre artists below who lent their expertise to selecting the winners of this year’s contest:

Derek Livingston
Past Festival Director & Artistic Director, StagesHouston

Cecelia Kouma
Playwrights Project Executive Director

Andy Lowe
Director, Actor, Producer, Writer, Director of Production and Casting, East West Players

Eliana Pipes
Playwright & Plays by Young Writers Alumna

Christian St. Croix
Playwright, Creative Director of BOY+MONSTER

Annie Weisman
Playwright & Plays by Young Writers Alumna

LETTER WRITERS & VOLUNTEER SCRIPT READERS

Special thanks to the theatre professionals who helped rank and review the scripts in this year’s contest- we couldn’t have done it without you!

Semi finalists & Finalists