2025-26 Young Playwrights Program
Young Playwrights Festival 2024, The Promise by Lauren Wagner
The Young Playwrights Program(YPP) is an opportunity for high school students to develop their voice and write new theatre pieces.
YPP meets young playwrights where they’re at! In YPP, Theatre professionals visit select local classrooms to lead workshops on playwriting and story development. Regardless of their participation in these workshops, young playwrights are invited to submit their own short play for consideration to be produced at Town Hall Theatre by professional directors and actors. Submissions are read by theatre professionals and select finalists will be chosen to have their pieces performed at the annual Young Playwrights Festival at Town Hall Theatre.
YPP is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Lafayette.
Bring YPP to Your School
All YPP workshops are free for schools and students thanks to grant support by the Community Foundation of Lafayette.
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The Young Playwrights Program (YPP) and Festival (YPF) is an opportunity for high school students to develop and produce new theatre pieces. We bring theatre artists to your classroom for a one day workshop to teach students more about the creative development of playwriting. Students will discuss ideas and practice scene writing with theatre artists and have the opportunity to submit their work for production in our Young Playwrights Festival coming up in early 2026. Submissions in the Festival are not required, but suggested.
This workshop is free for schools and students thanks to grant support by the Lafayette Community Foundation.
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In-School workshops: approx. 50 minutes or one class period
Please let us know if you are interested in multiple workshops or longer combined class workshops.
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Writing Standards: W.9-10.3.a, W.9-10.3.b, W.9-10.3.d, W.9-10.3.e, W.11-12.3
Speaking and Listening Standards: SL.9-10.4, SL.11-12.4
Theatre Standards: Prof.TH:Cr1.b, Acc.TH:Cr1.b, Prof.TH:Cr3.a, Adv.TH:Cr3.a, Prof.TH:Pr4, Acc.TH:Pr4, Acc.TH:Re7, Prof.TH:Re8.b, Acc.TH:Cn11.2.a
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Ready to bring a YPP workshop to your students? Contact Erika March, Education Director: Erika.March@TownHallTheatre.com
Submit Your Short Play
Submissions Due By:
December 31st, 2025
Playwright Submissions
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All submitting playwrights must live in Contra Costa or Alameda County.
Playwrights must be currently enrolled in high school or an equivalent youth schooling program
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Submit to: ypf@townhalltheatre.com
Submissions must include your full name, age, and name of your school (if applicable).
Submissions must be shared in either Word Documents, Google Documents, or PDF format.
Submissions should be unpublished original plays on any subject. Adaptations or original stories welcome!
Submissions must require 4 or fewer actors and may not exceed 10 minutes (approximately 10 pages) in length.
Playwrights can submit up to 3 plays per playwright or playwright team.
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All submitted plays will be read and scored by local theatre professionals. Each play will be read by a minimum of three separate theatre professionals and have the opportunity to score points based on the following categories: Development of the Story, Characterization, Dialogue, Originality, and Writing Mechanics.
Finalists will be chosen from the highest scoring submissions and announced in January 2026.
Writer Resources
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Check out these suggested tips for getting your play on the page from Dramaturg Kathryn Ash.
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A space with resources on all the construction of storytelling, such as building scenes, unique characters, and themes.
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Howl Round is a free and open platform for theatremakers worldwide with a focus in amplifying progressive and disruptive ideas about theatre and facilitating connections between diverse practitioners for the past decade. New work is the future of theatre, and this is where you’ll find in-depth content about best practices for its development, as well as pieces about specific work. This is a great resource for upcoming playwrights to see what current theatre makers are up to.
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The New Play Exchange is the worlds largest digital library of scripts by living playwrights. Reading other new works can be a great way to explore new themes, see how other writers tackled ideas and conversations on stage, or to gain inspiration from other creatives. Join today to gain access to over 53,000 plays and see how other playwrights are building their work.
YPF is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Lafayette.
Past Winners
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Wedding Worries and Crazy Cakes: A Gale Williams Story by Cassidy Mintz, Campolindo High School
Till the Very Last Breath, Again by Quinn Chiappetta, Acalanes High School
Duality by Chance Marie Newby, Miramonte High School
The Morrison by Amelia Soong, Miramonte High School
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Olives and Oafs by Nate Wayne, Miramonte High School
No Bullets Ill-Gotten by Amelia Soong, Miramonte High School
The New Girl by Alvera Bamorya, Acalanes High School
The Promise by Lauren Wagner, Miramonte High School
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It’s Not a Heist by Ella Bradley and Colin Perusse, Miramonte High School
May Lilies Do Die by Amelia Soong, Miramonte High School
Not For Myself by Hannah Johnson, Miramonte High School
The Three Surgeons by Ivan Smith and Hannah Shagan, Miramonte High School
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For the Best by Addison Gates
What Do You Want by Miriya Huie
Romeo & Juliet: The Documentary by Minda Jenab
Math Class by Alana Ruesga
Da Tempest by Heather Shinn
Therapy Session by Nadia Torpey
Roommates by Lindsey Villamor
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A Day Will Come by Chloe Starczewski
Float by Ka’Nayah Landers-Daniels
Three Worms by Phoenix Flum
Sleeping Beauty by Valentina Navarro-Marsili
Carrot’s Duck Diaries by Syrine Cherifi, Rebecca Whelan, and Erik Peterson
Ollie and Eve by Jeffrey Biggers
Ponte by Scarlett Mosher
