Florida Teen Playwright Festival:
A Look Back

The Florida Teen Playwright Festival opened to enthusiastic audiences on July 13, 1992, culminating a year-long Hippodrome initiative to introduce substantive playwriting curriculum into Florida's secondary schools. The Festival's aims were to present the art of playwriting as a viable form of self- expression and self-discovery for students, as well as to provide a venue to nurture, display, and award exceptional new talent and dedication to the theatre. Students from throughout the State of Florida submit their One-Act plays to a panel of professional judges who, in turn, read and score each submission based on criteria involving plot, character development, setting, theme, grammar, and an overall reaction. Past judges have included: Jo Morello, nationally renowned playwright; Pat Cook, Chair Directing Department, Baylor University; Francis Jue, professional actor and graduate of the Yale School of Drama; and our current judges include Dr David Young, Graduate Research Professor, University of Florida and Dr Ralf Remshart, Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance, University of Florida.

In the beginning, the Festival consisted of staged readings of the three winning scripts. Now the festival has grown to full-scale productions with costume, lighting, sound and set designs. The winning playwrights are given the valuable opportunity to work closely with directors to discuss the play's progress. The playwrights and the directors are given the chance to work closely with professional directors in the mentor program. The mentor program is set up to help the playwrights and directors with assistance and guidance throughout the rehearsal process. Past mentors have included Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director, Hippodrome State Theatre; Sara Morsey, Adjunct Professor, Santa Fe Community College and Mary Hausch, Producing Director, Hippodrome State Theatre.

The entire process culminates when the winning playwrights are invited to come for opening day and watch their play produced on the Hippodrome's second stage. After opening day the playwrights are taken to lunch and are given the chance to discuss their play with the actors, directors and designers. The three winning plays will be showcased on all three performance days. The performances are free and open to the public.

2005 Festival Winners

Nolan Carey and Alexander Mrazek
Ever Cold by Emily Kudeviz
(Stoneman Douglas High School, Coral Springs, FL)

Raymond Caldwell, Naika Saint-Fort, Allison Marin
Midnight At World's End by Gabriella Miyares
(Stanton College Preparatory School, Jacksonville, FL )

Kara Hennessey and David Carter
Altered States of Marriage by Lauren D. Yee
(San Francisco, CA)

2004 Festival Winners

Jon STEWart
The Outer Dialogue by Jessica Lynn Eisenberg
(University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL)

Traci Grzymala and Stephen Blackwell
The Intrigues of a Dead Mind by Nicola Cowap
(Paxon School for the Advanced Studies,Jacksonville, FL)

Matthew Crider (foreground), Nicole Reding and Tom Lapke
Thumper by Nicki Johnston
(Allen D. Nease High School, St. Augustine, FL)

2003 Festival Winners

My Self By Jeffrey Askin
(University of Central Florida, Boca Raton, FL)

Maria Cadette, Brian C. Natale and Sam Bailer
The Chess Game By Danielle Green and Diego Ferreyra
(Chamberlain High School, Tampa, FL)

Susie DiDonato, Jeremy Dabbs, Carl Holder and Hillary Glanzer
Ye Gods! By Phillip Durland
(Port St. Lucie High School, Port St. Lucie, FL)

2002 Festival Winners

Drew DeMaio, Jennifer Wiech, Brian C. Natale
The Mine Field by Daniel Caffrey
(River Ridge High School, New Port Richey, FL)

Graham Johnson, Chris Hills, Sam Bailer
The Mostly Romantic and Sort of Lustful Exploits of Three Overly Confused and Completely Different Young Men in Search of Love or Three Guys in Love by Michael Brabant
(Vanguard High, Ocala, FL)

Brian C. Natale, Emilee MacDonald, Kristian Steeler
Everything Under Heaven by Victoria Leone
(Lake Mary High School, Lake Mary, FL)

2001 Festival Winners

Jessica Cooper, Rory Lambert
Flush Twice by Jessica Lynn Eisenberg
(Harrison Arts Center, Lakeland, FL)

Graham Johnson (foreground), Carl Holder, Josh McKinney, Markeia Fra-ness McCarty
The Captivation of Mr. Brown by John Denton
Eastside HS, Gainesville, Fl)