City Theatre Presents the 2012 Young Playwrights Festival, 10/6 & 7

City Theatre will present the 2012 Young Playwrights Festival, October 6 and 7 on City Theatre's Lester Hamburg Studio Stage. Featuring original, one-act plays written by select middle and high school playwrights from Western Pennsylvania, the annual festival showcases professional productions of six winning scripts chosen from over 200 Young Playwrights Contest submissions.

This year, the festival will stage a variety of theatrical worlds, including a Depression-era Texas farm, a magical forest of Wonderland proportions, a generations-old pastry shop, an aristocratic mansion alive with intrigue, and more. Characters range from an old man confronting his mortality to a young woman with a rebellious spirit and revolutionary aspirations.

FEATURED PLAYS:

Middle School Selections:

The Journey Through Gulompae Forest
by Marin Exler (Carlynton Junior-Senior High School)

A missing father and a mysterious language take Allie on an imaginative journey of magic and danger. What is Allie's connection with this ancient forest, inhabited by a menagerie of creatures both good and evil? Will Allie be ready when she is called upon to fulfill her destiny? Oh, mugoleap! Just what is her destiny? And what in the world does "mugoleap" mean?!

Elizabeth's Revolution
by Brigid Stuart (Brentwood Middle School)

Young Elizabeth wants to join the War for Independence to fight the British tyrant King George-and her Loyalist father. But how can a girl get into General Washington's Continental Army? With her brother Daniel and a friend namEd Brandon, Elizabeth schemes a way to fight for freedom-the colonies' and her own-in the turbulent time of the American Revolution.

Sherbet Homes and the Diamond Deception
by Claire Zalla (Fort Couch Middle School)

Right in the middle of a fancy party filled with guests, a brazen burglar swipes a diamond necklace and escapes-but not before revolting everyone by eating a piece of (shudder) broccoli! Who is summoned to solve the case? Inspector Sherbet Homes, Private I, of course. Everyone's a suspect, and each twist and turn is more improbable than the last in this hilarious parody of the whodunit that will leave you wondering: does anyone have a clue?

High School Selections:

The Stranger
by Liam McInerney (Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School)

Edgar hasn't gotten much right in his life: he was an addict, walked out on his wife, abandoned his daughter. Now, a Stranger has arrived with a message: dying is the last item on the list of the living; you get one chance to do it right.

Roost
by Lana Meyer (Carlynton Junior-Senior High School)

The Depression has hit Jo Grissom hard. The foxes are after her chickens, the bank is after her failing farm, and she's been using all her assets to scrape by. This time, though, she's in a real fix and she's counting on Cash, her old beau, to get her out of it. But Jo never sees coming what Cash brings home, or the deal he's prepared to offer her, in this tale of desperation that explores just how far we'll go to get what we want-or to hold onto what's ours.

Five Generations
by Alexis Payne (Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12)

The Bread and Butter Bakery isn't just Robin's livelihood-it's her life, and it's been in her family for generations. It's paid for college for her sister and son, provided a haven for the neighborhood misfit Emmy, and put smiles on the faces of its hungry customers. So when a personal loss and a financial setback threaten the very survival of the bakery, Robin has to come to terms with the fact that sometimes a family recipe needs to be adjusted.

Creative Team:

The 2012 Young Playwrights Festival creative team includes Matt M. Morrow (Director and City Theatre Associate Artistic Director), Carlyn Aquiline (Literary Manager and Dramaturg), Kristen Link (Education Director), Tony Ferrieri (Scenic Consulting), Sabrina Zain (Costume), Weston Wilkerson (Lighting), and Angela Baughman (Sound).

The ensemble cast includes Julianne Avolio, Valentina Benrexi, Atticus Cain, Monteze Freeland, Hannah Gold, Matthew Henderson, Caroline Jordan, Hayley Nielsen, Skyler Sullivan, and Jordan Walsh.

Dramaturgy for each play was done by Brianna Allen (Five Generations), Murphi Cook (The Journey Through Gulompae Forest), Annie DiMario (The Stranger), Jeanne Drennan (Elizabeth's Revolution), Elizabeth Rheinfrank (Sherbet Homes and the Diamond Deception), and Dennis Schebetta (Roost).

WORKSHOPS:

Physical Comedy for Youth
Suitable for ages 12-18

If you think you're funny, then it's time to get serious about comedy. Explore the world of physical theatre, while learning the building blocks of clowning. This workshop will explore comic styles from Slapstick to Commedia dell'Arte. Attendees will walk away with their own clown characters and original sketches. No experience is necessary, but a sense of humor is! Instructor: Skyler Sullivan (San Francisco School of Circus Arts; New Victory Theater).

In The Light: A Shadow Puppetry Workshop
Suitable for ages 10-18

Are you at a loss for words? Let your story come to life through shadow puppets! In this workshop, artists from Pittsburgh's newest multi-disciplinary performance company Co(lab)trix will perform a short shadow puppet piece and teach students how to make and manipulate their own puppets using narration, movement, and imagination. All supplies provided. Instructor: Meredith Hoppe (IBEX Puppetry, Inc.; Co(lab)trix ).

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:

Saturday, October 6
1:00 pm Middle School Performance
2:30 pm Physical Comedy for Youth Workshop
6:00 pm High School Performance

Sunday, October 7
1:00 pm High School Performance
2:30 pm In the Light: A Shadow Puppetry Workshop
6:00 pm Middle School Performance

Where: City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street on Pittsburgh's South Side

Ticket Prices:
Performances: $10 for students, $15 for adults
Performances include three middle or high school selections.

Workshops: $10 each or two workshops for $15
Advance registration by phone is required.

Box Office:
At the door: 1300 Bingham Street | By phone: 412.431.CITY (2489) | Online: www.citytheatrecompany.org