Selected submissions to the Young Playwrights Contest are given professional productions at City Theatre as part of the annual Young Playwrights Festival. Student playwrights develop their scripts in collaboration with professional theatre artists—a director, dramaturgs, designers, and actors—for productions on City Theatre’s stage. 

This year’s festival runs from October 8 – 20th. To purchase tickets for a student matinee contact Katie Trupiano, Director of Education and Accessibility at KTrupiano@CityTheatreCompany.org

To buy tickest to a public performance on October 19th or 20th, click here.

High School: 

SAVE THEM

by Jonathan Pennybaker 

10th Grade, Alumni Theater Company 

In the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, a family seeks justice for their loved one after he was murdered by a police officer. While navigating their own grief, they fear the same cycle of brutality repeating again and again. A lyrical exploration of the balance between safety and justice. 

TINDER TENSION

by Libby Eannarino 

12th Grade, Sewickley Academy 

Tinder makes it easy to connect, but when Stanley swipes right on someone with a complicated history, he might have bitten off more than he can chew. After all, you can’t trust everyone you meet on the internet, now, can you? 

FLOWERS, GONE

by Eliza Jane Burgess 

9th Grade, Oakland Catholic High School 

The tumultuous Vietnam War divided families across the United States. Lisa Johnson, a renowned folk singer, turns to her music, hoping that her family’s commonalities will overcome their differences. 

Middle School: 

SQUISHED

by Reagan Dobson and Afton Rogers 

7th Grade, Keystone Oaks Middle School 

After his father is squished by a human, a lanternfly seeks to avenge his death. Join Lenny and his fellow lanternflies on an epic quest for revenge against the cold-blooded humans. This is a story of persistence, friendship, and a lesson in minding your inter-species manners. 

COME HOME HAPPY

by Justus Payne 

7th Grade, Shiller Steam Academy & Alumni Theater Company 

Grief affects everyone differently. Sometimes it isolates. Other times, it unites. This heartfelt story follows a family finding their way back to one another as they navigate the loss of a loved one. 

INSIDE A BOX

by Ira Clemens 

8th Grade, Falk Laboratory School 

Stanley is just a guy, stuck in a room, living controlled by the will of a disembodied voice named Lester. Witness an existential look at power and one’s own free will through this absurdist play.