(UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has named current Kean University student Lucien Edme (Class of ’21) and alumnus Megan Hoche (Class of ‘08, ‘10 ) as the winners of the 2021 Bauer Boucher Playwriting Awards, named for longtime donors W. John Bauer and Nancy Boucher. Both winners will receive a cash prize and a one-day developmental reading of their plays with a professional cast and director. This year the readings will be held virtually via Zoom and are free and open to the public. A live Q&A with the playwrights will follow each reading. To register the free readings visit www.premierestagesatkean.com

The virtual reading of Councilman by Lucien Edme will be held Tuesday, January 19 at 3:20pm EST via Zoom. Councilman tells the story of Wesley Grande, a new kid at St. Thomas Public School,  a middle school full of power-hungry tyrants in the making. Running for class president with his best friend, Wesley plans to “bring power back to the underdog”, but Wesley soon has to decide what matters more to him: Power or Respect.  

Lucien Edme is currently a senior at Kean University pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre. Starting from a young age and never settling down since, Lucien has gathered many acting credits throughout his career. Past credits include Mr./Billy in Sunday in the Park with George, Riley in Parade, and Gomez Addams in The Addams Family. As a recording artist, Lucien has an EP titled “555”, which is now available on all music streaming platforms.

The virtual reading of Forever Mom by Megan Hoche will be held Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm EST via Zoom. In Forever Mom, Linda is a full-time caregiver to her adult son, Kevin, who has intellectual disabilities. With Kevin consuming her days, things like travel, relaxation, and even aging seem like luxuries that are out of reach. But, when a family member offers up a change, Linda begins to consider a life without Kevin for the first time.  

Born and raised in Edison, NJ, Megan started performing and writing from a young age. She attended Kean University, where she minored in theatre and received her MA in Speech Pathology. She now lives and works in NYC and is currently a writer for the Mission to (dit)Mars Propulsion Lab, where she developed and held a staged reading of her play End of the Line (2021 More Than Roses podcast feature). Her play Talk to Me had its world premiere in NYC in June 2019 at the Theaterlab. Her feminist play A Period Piece (2019 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference semi-finalist, 2019 Playwrights Foundation/Bay Area Playwrights Festival semi-finalist) had its world premiere in NYC in July 2019 with The Shrill Collective. Her new play Forever Mom recently had a virtual reading as a part of Plays-in-the-Park’s Sunday-in-the-Park Play Reading Series.

The Bauer Boucher Playwriting Award, established in 2014 through funding by Premiere Stages supporters W. John Bauer and Nancy Boucher, recognizes the work of one Kean University student and one playwright from the alumni community on an annual basis. The Bauer Boucher Award supports Kean University writers with enhanced visibility, dramaturgical feedback, a cash award, and the opportunity to hear their play read out loud by an ensemble of professional actors. The selected plays are directed by John J. Wooten, producing artistic director of Premiere Stages, and performed by a cast of professional Actors’ Equity Association actors. The winning student receives a cash prize of $1,000 and the winning graduate receives a $2,000 award.

The 2021 Bauer Boucher Award Readings will benefit the Kean Foundation. Donations will help support Premiere Stages education initiatives, particularly those that support emerging artists. Premiere Stages wishes to express gratitude to the following Performers’ Unions: ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS, AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS, SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program. To make a donation, click here.

Premiere Stages offers affordable prices, air-conditioned facilities and free parking close to the theatre. Premiere Stages also provides free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are fully accessible spaces, and companion seating is available for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advance notice. Please call 908-737-4077 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances.  

Premiere Stages is made possible in part through funding from W. John Bauer and Nancy Boucher, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, The Wallerstein Foundation for Geriatric Life Improvement, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Investors Foundation, The Union County HEART Grant, Les Malamut Art Gallery, Actors’ Equity Foundation, and through the generous support of individual patrons and local organizations. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit www.JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State. 

Founded in 1855, Kean University has become one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, with a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment serving nearly 15,000 students. The University’s five undergraduate colleges offer more than 50 undergraduate degrees over a full range of academic subjects. The Nathan Weiss Graduate College offers six doctoral degree programs and more than 60 options for graduate study leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications. With campuses in Union and Toms River, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, Kean University furthers its mission by providing an affordable and accessible world-class education.