Kids & Teens

Young Playwrights for Change 2027

Free 4-Week Workshop - Applications Due January 13th, 2027

Multi-Week Class

Limited to students in the 6th - 12th grades

Tuesdays, Jan 19 - Feb 9th from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Location: Online

Price: Free

This is a free workshop that takes place online and meets four times. At the end of the workshop, students will have written a ten minute play. These plays will have a free staged reading put together by our teen theatre company: YETi. 


We are accepting Applications for 6 Youth Playwrights and 6 Youth Directors

 

APPLY NOW

 

Hosted by The American Association of Theatre Education (AATE), Young Playwrights for Change is a national playwriting competition for students in 6th- 8th grades. Students write and submit a ten-minute play based on a theme. Each hosting organization will select and submit one script for this national competition. 

 

Childsplay Academy is proud to be one of the hosting organizations, and we look forward to submitting a play that represents our community and the voices of young people. We are intentionally selecting students as adjudicators, and this group of peers will select Childsplay's entry for the competition. 

 

To help students develop and write a ten-minute play, we're offering playwriting workshops with playwright and artistic director Dwayne Hartford. The four workshop sessions meet online from Mid- January to late February. However, participation in the workshop is not required to submit a script. 


 Dates:

 

  • January 19th
  • Online Playwrighting Workshop at Childsplay begins
  • February 10th
  • Play submitted to Childsplay for Adjudication
  • February 13th
  • Childsplay adjudication results announced
  • March 1st
  • Childsplay's selection submitted to AATE- Each entry submitted by host organizations will receive feedback from AATE and an opportunity for revision before final adjudication.
  • March 5th & 6th
  • All scripts are performed at the Young Playwrights Festival host by YETi
  • May 5th
  • AATE announces the winning play

 

2027 Theme: TBA

 

At times the world seems small and other times vast.  How do you care for the earth? How does the earth care for you?  Whether through science or connecting with wild things, seeing the earth as a scientific marvel or a mother, how does caring for our earth create change for the climate of your heart or the climate of our entire planet.


Check back soon for what the writing prompt for 2027 will be!

 

 

Guidelines at a Glance:

  1. Playwrights must be currently in the 6th - 12th grade. 
  2. Playwrights must have permission from parent or guardian to enter.
  3. Plays must be original work and not an adaptation of a previous work
  4. Plays must incorporate the theme
  5. Plays may be no longer than ten-minutes when read aloud. 
  6. Plays may have up to but no more than six characters. 
  7. Plays man not be co-authored

 

Full Contest Guidelines from AATE

 

 

 

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