NEWS RELEASE — MORE THAN 50 ACTORS SET TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BLANK THEATRE’S 23rd ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

DEBORAH S. CRAIG, JULIE GONZALO,
ECHO KELLUM, MISSI PYLE,
SARA RUE, LINDSEY SHAW,
VIRGINIA WILLIAMS, AND MORE
SET TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BLANK THEATRE’S
23RD ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
JUNE 4—28

More than 50 actors are set to participate in The Blank Theatre’s 23rd Annual Young Playwrights Festival, including Deborah S. Craig (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Julie Gonzalo (Dallas), Echo Kellum (Sean Saves the World, Ben & Kate), Missi Pyle (Gone Girl), Sara Rue (Rules of Engagement, Impastor), Lindsey Shaw (Pretty Little Liars), and Virginia Williams (Fairly Legal). Twelve winning plays by young playwrights aged 12—19 from seven different states will be presented during this year’s festival at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, running from June 4—28.

Other notable performers appearing in the Festival are (in alphabetical order) Juliette Angelo, Makenna Ballard, Brielle Barbusca, Sarah Allyn Bauer, L.J. Benet, Jayson Blair, Zach Callison, Chloe Carabasi, Blaire Chandler, Joe DiGiovanni, Nik Dodani, Gabrielle Elyse, Cole Ewing, Nathan Frizzell, Ashlee Füss, Michael Grant, Anna Jacoby-Heron, Kaitlyn Jenkins, Elizabeth Knowelden, Layne Kula, Amir Levi, Max Lloyd-Jones, Jeff Marlow, Sydney Meyer, Nina Millin, Stephen Moffatt, Braxton Molinaro, Sara Montez, JT Neal, Eric Nenninger, Angel Parker, Larry Poindexter, Lurie Poston, Deborah Puette, Jaz Sinclair, Ptolemy Slocum, Ellery Sprayberry, Ben Stillwell, Jennifer Stone, Michael Grant Terry, Jeff Torres, Devon Werkheiser, and Micaela Wittman.

The Blank Theatre’s 23rd Annual Young Playwrights Festival runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm, beginning June 4 and running through June 28 at the Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard (at Highland), in Hollywood. Each week’s program includes three plays. Tickets are $20 for adults and $14 for students. Festival Passes, which include one ticket for each week, are $68 for adults and $48 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at www.theblank.com or by calling (323) 661-9827.

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06-01-15

NEWS RELEASE — WINNERS NAMED FOR THE BLANK THEATRE’S 23rd ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

THE BLANK THEATRE’S 23RD ANNUAL
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL CHOOSES WINNERS

12 PLAYS BY THE NATION’S BRIGHTEST YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS
WILL BE PERFORMED AT THE STELLA ADLER THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD

JUNE 4 — 28, 2015

Now celebrating its 23rd Anniversary, The Blank Theatre’s Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival has chosen 12 plays by young playwrights aged 12—19 from seven different states. These plays will be presented by professional actors and directors in this year’s festival at The Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, June 4—28.

Said Noah Wyle (star of television’s ER and Falling Skies), Artistic Producer at The Blank, “Each Spring for the past 23 years, The Blank has found the freshest, most original voices in the American theatre, invited them to Los Angeles, and promoted their work during a month-long festival in June. This thought provoking work, performed and directed by seasoned professionals, has entertained thousands of audience members over the years. While these authors are often as different as the states from which they come and the subjects with which they deal, they share something truly improbable. They’re teenagers.” Wyle continued, “These are not only the voices of today’s theatre — they are the voices of tomorrow’s as well.”

This year’s winning plays are: SUSPENDED by India Kotis, Brooklyn, NY, Age 17; INHERENTLY AMBIGUOUS by Dan Devine, La Grange Park, IL, Age 18; THREE STORIES by Alexa Derman, Westfield, NJ, Age 18; HERE WE ARE AGAIN by Ariella Carmell, Los Angeles, CA, Age 18; THE EXCEPTIONAL CHILDHOOD CENTER by Dylan Schifrin, Sherman Oaks, CA, Age 16; SPLOOSH by Frank Garland, Seattle, WA, Age 17; THE PARTING by Spencer Emerson Opal-Levine, Sarasota, FL, Age 12; BROMEO AND JULIUS by Sabrina Batchler, Sherman Oaks, CA, Age 18; THE COCKTAIL PARTY EFFECT by Aiyana White, Van Nuys, CA, Age 19; TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN by Jonah Rawitz, Buffalo Grove, IL, Age 17; THE ELEPHANT by Ruth Geye, Shaker Heights, OH, Age 16; and TEENAGE ANGELS by Honor Levy, Los Angeles, CA, Age 17.

A panel of theatre professionals chose from over 220 plays submitted by young writers across the nation. Winning playwrights are next assigned a mentor, and then a professional director who will help them hone their scripts for four public performances with professional actors. This year’s mentors include David Rambo (Revolution, Empire, CSI), Kelly Miller (Director of Development, New Neighborhood), Dave Holstein (Weeds, Raising Hope), Todd Milliner (executive producer, Grimm), Ellen Byron (Just Shoot Me, Wings), Gary Tieche (Medium), Michael Jung (Disney), Kit Steinkellner (four-time YPF winner), Austin Winsberg (five-time YPF winner), Beth Bigler (The Real Housewives of Atlanta and three-time YPF winner), Patrick Burleigh, and Brighde Mullins. This year’s directors are (in alphabetical order) Barbara Bain, June Carryl, Bjørn Johnson, Michael Matthews, Loni Peristere, Alina Phelan, Christopher J. Raymond, Michael A. Shepperd, Richard Tatum, April Webster, Jason Weiss, and Constance Zimmer.

Over the past 22 years, The Blank has produced 260 plays by young playwrights. Eleven of those plays or playwrights have gone on to be presented on The Blank’s mainstage. Additionally, many of the plays have been nominated for LA theatre awards, including an Ovation Award for Best Writing—World Premiere, and an LA Weekly Award for Best One-Act Playwriting. Other alumni playwrights are populating the nation’s theatres and sound stages with their work. Many YPF winners have gone on to successful writing careers on Broadway, created network TV shows, are filling regional stages, and one has even been a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

This year’s festival is made possible by the Walt Disney Company, Rosenthal Family Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles City Department of Cultural Affairs, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, William C. Bannerman Foundation, The Plum Foundation, The Hollywood Fringe Festival, and Biller Family Foundation.

The Blank Theatre’s 23rd Annual Young Playwrights Festival runs June 4—28 at the Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood. The performance schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Each week’s program includes three plays, and admission is $20 for adults and $14 for students. Festival passes, which are good for one ticket each week of the festival, are $68 for adults and $48 for students. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.TheBlank.com, or via phone by calling (323) 661-9827.

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04-27-15

NEWS RELEASE — SUBMISSIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE BLANK THEATRE’S 23rd ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

SUBMISSIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED
THE BLANK THEATRE’S
23RD ANNUAL NATIONWIDE
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

The Blank Theatre’s 23rd Annual Young Playwrights Festival is now seeking submissions nationwide from playwrights 19 years of age and younger. The submission deadline is March 16, 2015. Winning plays will be presented by professional actors and directors from June 4—28, 2015 at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival is a nationwide competition that produces the work of 12 young writers each year. Since 1993, the festival has produced 260 plays by playwrights 19 and younger from 27 states.

Each winning play will have four performances in a weekend run. The productions are made possible in part by grants from The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, The Plum Foundation, The Rosenthal Family Foundation, The Walt Disney Company, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

The rules for the festival competition are as follows: playwrights must be 19 years of age or younger on March 16, 2015; original plays and musicals can be any length, on any subject. Scripts must be legible and pages must be numbered and unbound. Submissions may be emailed to ypfsubmissions@theblank.com or hard copies mailed to YPF, c/o The Blank Theatre, PO Box 1094, Los Angeles, CA, 90078 (and must be postmarked or emailed by March 16, 2015). There is a limit of three (3) plays per playwright. All plays must include a cover sheet with the play’s title, playwright’s name, date of birth, school (if any), mailing address, contact phone number, e-mail address and the play’s production history (if any).

Each playwright whose work is accepted will be assigned a mentor: professionals who will help the youngsters hone their work for performance. Past mentors have included Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, Tony Award-nominated composer Michael John LaChiusa, writer Jeff Greenstein (Will & Grace), producer Todd Milliner (Hot in Cleveland, Grimm), writer Irene Mecchi (The Lion King, Brave), Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), television and film director Garry Marshall, among many others. The playwrights then experience the thrill of seeing their plays performed by industry professionals in fully staged productions.

Said Noah Wyle (star of television’s ER and Falling Skies), Artistic Producer at The Blank, “Each Spring for the past 23 years, The Blank has found the freshest, most original voices in the American theatre, invited them to Los Angeles, and promoted their work during a month-long festival in June. This thought provoking work, performed and directed by seasoned professionals, has entertained thousands of audience members over the years. While these authors are often as different as the states from which they come and the subjects with which they deal, they share something truly improbable. They’re teenagers.” Wyle continued, “These are not only the voices of today’s theatre — they are the voices of tomorrow’s as well.”

For more information, visit the festival’s website at www.YoungPlaywrights.com or The Blank Theatre’s website at www.TheBlank.com.

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01-13-15