From page to stage: Playwright finalists to present original one-act plays

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Last fall Prescott Park Arts Festival, with support from New Hampshire Humanities, held a playwriting competition that challenged and guided aspiring playwrights to use drama to explore complex social issues affecting their communities. Seventeen playwrights submitted original work as part of the “30 Pages in 30 Days” competition. Three finalists selected by a panel of judges will perform in a live staged reading competition followed by a talkback session on Friday, February 24 at 7:00 pm at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth. The public is invited to attend.

Critical to the “30 Pages in 30 Days” project was a series of workshops facilitated by award-winning playwrights David Kaye of UNH and Genevieve Aichele of the New Hampshire Theatre Project. The workshops taught participants how to write a producible play while focusing on community challenges. Participants learned specific methods for developing scripts from the raw material of oral or written histories, news articles, and personal stories. They learned how to find the best dramatic style for a particular story, transforming narrative into dialogue, uncovering universal archetypes and metaphor in raw material, and incorporating the poetry of everyday language.

Based on the belief that playwriting and performing can help bridge gaps of understanding, organizers of the competition believe the project will give playwrights—and audiences—the opportunity to examine the complexity of the human experience in relation to a chosen social issue. 

The winner selected on February 24 will receive a $500 cash prize and the opportunity to have the show produced during the 2017 Prescott Park Arts Festival season. There is a $5 suggested donation for the Feb. 24 event. Visit www.prescottpark.org/events/30in30.

Just announced!
Congratulations to the three finalists who will present their one-act plays on February 24:

Over the Fence by Catherine Stewart
When The Tide Comes In by Sharleigh Thomson
Uprising by Susan Sinnott