Shown are winners of 2007 Barter Theatre Young Playwrights Festival, sponsors and professional actors.
ABINGDON, Va. -- Barter Theatre announced the winners of the Sixth Annual Young Playwrights Festival on Nov. 5. Winning plays were chosen from among submissions from more than 140 high school students who participated in the Festival this year.
-- Devastation Afterwards by Cody Huff, Stephen Richardson and MichaelMcGarry won first place; second place was awarded to The Quest by AndrewNadler. The first- and second-place winners are students of MelanieLashinsky at Abingdon High School.
-- Revenge Is Sweet by Jordan Crandall and Carrie Tester of Kelly Vance'sclass at Bristol Tennessee High School garnered the third-place honor.
The following students received Honorable Mention in the Festival:
-- Hannah Link and Whitney Webb for The Domino Effect;
-- Ruthi McNerlin, Ashlyn Davidson and Samantha McKenny for The Path to Blessin';
-- Katherine Brown for Yes, Ma'am;
-- Rodney Ray for Still Here;
-- Amanda Lester for Life in a Concentration Camp.
All of these students are from Lashinskys class at Abingdon High School.
Winning students and teachers received trophies and plaques after Barter professionals staged readings of the plays. The Honorable Isaac Freeman provided the opening remarks, and Tom Hicok of the Prather Foundation was on hand to award cash prizes to playwrights of the top three plays. A reception honoring the students and their teachers immediately followed the awards presentation.
The Young Playwrights Festival is open every fall to high school students in Southwest Virginia, northeastern Tennessee and southeastern West Virginia. Barter Theatre trains the teachers on instructing playwriting, and students write and submit plays to Barter Theatre through their schools. All plays are read by a select group of Barter Theatre professionals, with the adjudicators not knowing the playwrights' or the teachers' names or schools.
Students from Tennessee High, Science Hill High, Jonesborough Repertory Theatre, Haysi High, Graham High, Chilhowie High, Northwood High and Abingdon High participated in the 2007 Young Playwrights Festival.
The Festival is part of Barter Theatre's Educational Outreach Program. The Educational Outreach program also includes the Barter Players' season and tour and new and emerging e-learning opportunities for the region's youth.
For more information about Barter Theatre's educational programming, please contact Tere Land at education@bartertheatre.com or (276) 619-3347
