Young Playwrights Festival



Way back in high school, before youthful idealism and creativity gave way to malaise and cynicism, I wrote a play. It was about a vampire who worked at a convenience store and lived in a closet. It was called "I Am A Closet Vampire," and I entered it into the New Jersey Young Playwrights Competition. The judges recognized brilliance when they saw it. I was a winner.

The best part was the prize-- a staged reading of my play by professional actors. The actors chosen to perform my play told me they liked it so much that they memorized it; so it was less of a staged reading and more of a real staged play. It was incredible to see something I wrote come alive. People laughed at all the right parts. It was pretty close to how I had envisioned it. The one difference actually ended up being beneficial-- one of the actresses was missing on the day of the performance, so one actor took on two parts-- both husband and wife, both cops. This made for a wonderfully schizophrenic character that I never would have come up with on my own.

This year's Young Playwright's Festival concludes today. But I suggest you check it out next year. Go to the Playwrights Theater website for more information.