News

Monday, May 7, 2012

The Girsh & Hochman Families’ Young Playwrights Festival

Six professional actors, one professional director and eight high school students join forces to present the Girsh & Hochman Families’ Young Playwrights Festival Saturday, May 12, 2012, at Dos Pueblos High School’s Elings Performing Arts Center at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The 2012 Girsh and Hochman Families’ Young Playwrights Festival features an eclectic collection of student-written one-act plays. The 10:00 a.m. performance includes junior Chris Morra's murder mystery CITY OF ANGELS; junior Ainslee Scott’s romantic comedy TWO AND A HALF WEDDINGS; junior Jade Boch’s COMIC BOOK TRAGEDY; and junior Blake Benlan’s satire AMERICAN PRESIDENT, PART I.

The 1:30 p.m. performance features Benlan’s AMERICAN PRESIDENT, PART II; sophomore Sam Katz’ ALL THE VALOR IT ENTAILS; junior Marcus Carone's one-act DROWSY; senior Jessica Kerby will share several songs from an untitled musical she is creating; and senior Katelyn Dorny’s SUBCONSCIOUS AND THE UGLY TRUTH concludes the program. "This promises to be one of the most diverse festivals I've presented,” says founding Artistic Director Clark Sayre.

A one-day Festival Pass includes seats for all eight readings, live entertainment by Ben and Ash, and a raffle for prizes including a one-night stay at Bacara Resort and Spa. The first hundred patrons also receive lunch from Culture Shock food truck between the 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. performances. Those without a Festival Pass can still choose to purchase food. Following the 5:00 p.m. show, Festival Pass holders are invited to a post-show dessert reception onstage to meet the playwrights, actors and festival sponsors.

The 2012 Girsh and Hochman Families’ Young Playwrights Festival features professional theater artists from New York and Los Angeles. All readings will be directed by Gioia Marchese. In addition to performing in the eight student-written readings, the company of professional actors will teach a week-long residency for Dos Pueblos High School’s acting students.

Another element of the Dos Pueblos playwriting class is its mentorship program. Each student playwright is paired up with a professional writing mentor.

Festival passes are $5 and are available online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Some passes may still be available at the door the day of the performances. For more information about the festival, call 968-2541 ext. 293, or email producer Gioia Marchese at mattiemarch@gmail.com.