Young Playwrights Festival

City Theatre is hosting the Young Playwrights Festival on Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18, with shows at 2 PM and 6 PM both days. It's the festival's 27th year, and the whole thing grows out of a contest open to students in grades 7 through 12 across Southwestern Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Between January and March 31, students submit original one-act plays—nearly 300 entries each cycle—and winners are chosen by June. From there, the plays get dramaturgical support before they're professionally produced on stage.

This year's lineup splits between middle and high school writers. The middle school plays are Opening Night with a Twist by Ayla Roden (8th grade, PPS CAPA 6-12), The Not So Epic Epic of Kyle and Thaddeus by Suprem Chauhan and Sanyog Pokhrel (8th grade, Belle Vernon Middle School), and The Weight of Nothing by Riley Kellar (7th grade, Keystone Oaks Middle School). The high school plays are The Prince and the Poet by Jack Longstreth (11th grade, Fort Cherry High School), P1: Downtown by Justus Payne (9th grade, PPS CAPA 6-12), and My Own Sonnet 18 by Elroy Jung (10th grade, North Allegheny High School). All six are one-acts, so you'll see a good range of voices in a single afternoon or evening.

Between the main shows, the festival opens the PLAY GROUND, a free, ticketless space with staged readings of honorable mention scripts, drop-in creative experiences, food trucks, live DJ sets, games, and merchandise. It's designed as a place to hang out and talk with the playwrights themselves. The whole weekend is built as a celebration of creativity, storytelling, and the next generation of theatrical voices, with student matinees running from October 13 to 23 and additional middle and high school performances on the surrounding days.

Tickets are $10 per person. The festival takes place at City Theatre, specifically in The Lillie Theatre at 1300 Bingham Street in Pittsburgh. With shows at 2 PM and 6 PM on both Saturday and Sunday, you can catch the full bill in one go or pick the time that works best for you.