Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 03/17/2022
Eleven very talented New Jersey high school students will be honored at The Theater Project's 20th Annual Young Playwrights Competition Performance and Awards Ceremony on Monday, March 28 at 7:30pm. At the virtual event, the four prize winners will see their work performed by the professional actors of The Theater Project; honorable mentions will be presented with citations and gift certificates. The event is free and open to the public, thanks to support from Investors Foundation and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s 25th Annual Stages Festival, which offers free and low-cost events throughout the state.
The four winners receive the Joseph Curka Award for Young Playwrights. These eleven young writers represent nine different high schools and ten different New Jersey towns:
First prize: Lina Olazabal, The Lawrenceville School
Second prize: Izaiah Solano, Thomas Jefferson Academy, Elizabeth
Third Prize (a tie): Mia Longenecker, Madison High School, and Isabel Lindsay, Communications High School of Monmouth County, Wall Township.
Honorable mentions: Brennan Columbia-Walsh, Montclair Kimberly Academy; Ben Glickman, Newark Academy, Livingston; Simone Graziano, Absegami High School, Galloway; Angel Jacob, Thomas Jefferson Academy, Elizabeth; Allison Lee, Churchill Junior High School; Jacqueline Litowinsky, Communications High School of Monmouth County, Wall Township; Sofia Sepulveda Pizarro, East Brunswick High School.
All the high school students who entered the Young Playwrights Competition are offered a one-on-one session with an adult playwright to discuss their scripts.
“We invited 800 public and private high schools in New Jersey to participate and despite the challenges COVID presented, we still got terrific, qualified entries,” said Board Director President Kevin Carver who coordinates the state-wide competition. “It just shows that these talented, young playwrights want to create and are willing to overcome the hurdles the pandemic presented.” Since its inception, students from 74 New Jersey high schools have been honored in the popular Young Playwrights Competition.
The program is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Stages Festival, the state’s largest annual theatre festival, which provides free and discounted theatre events for all ages throughout the months of March, April, and May.
“The New Jersey Theatre Alliance is grateful that The Theater Project is participating in the 2022 Stages Festival,” said John McEwen, Executive Director of the Alliance. “For 25 years, The Stages Festival has provided theatrical experiences for more than 200,000 residents across New Jersey. We are thrilled that we can bring communities together through the power of theatre.”
The NJTA 2022 Stages Festival is made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; New Jersey Historical Commission. A full calendar of events is available at www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages.
The Theater Project is a leading incubator for rising talent and a showcase for New Jersey artists.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Cape May Stage presents a Staged Reading of "Appendage" by Derek Murphy
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents a staged reading of Appendage by Derek Murphy on Monday, August 10, 2026 at 7:00pm. A darkly comic and psychologically sharp two-hander, Appendage by Derek Murphy explores grief, masculinity, and the messy ways we cope with loss. Admission is free.
South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of "The Ocean Deep" by Katherine Vondy
(CAMDEN, NJ) -- South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of The Ocean Deep by Katherine Vondy on Monday, August 10, 2026. Admission is free with live music at 6:00pm and the reading & discussion at 7:00pm.
Gateway Playhouse to Hold Open Auditions for "9 to 5: The Musical"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse of Somers Point is holding open auditions for their third MainStage production of the year, the incredibly fun 9 to 5: The Musical. Auditions will take place from 6:00pm-8:00pm Monday and Tuesday, August 10 and 11, 2026. All roles are open and any performance experience is welcomed (must be 16 or older).
Middlesex County Plays-in-the-Park to Host Auditions for "Curious George: The Golden Meatball" on August 12th
(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park is holding auditions for its fall 2026 children's production of Curious George: The Golden Meatball on Wednesday, August 12, at 6:00pm at the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre located inside Roosevelt Park in Edison. Everyone's favorite mischievous monkey and his friend in the yellow hat sing and dance up a storm in this adventure-filled musical.
Music Mountain Theatre presents "Alice By Heart"
(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Music Mountain Theatre presents Alice By Heart with three performances from August 12-13, 2026. From the Tony and Grammy Award-winning creators of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik) and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress) this is a touching musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Chimera Productions presents "Job" at Paul Robeson Center for the Arts
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- New Jersey-based theater company Chimera Productions will present its 17th production, Job by Max Wolf Friedlich, from August 13-15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night. The play, presented in the intimate 60-seat theater inside Princeton's Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, is a psychological thriller that offers a sharp, darkly funny, and unsettling examination of our addiction to work, the internet, the cost of modern life, and what we're willing to sacrifice to belong.
Masquerade Theatre presents "Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase"
(RIVERSIDE, NJ) -- Masquerade Theatre presents Myths, Legends & Folklore Showcase with performances on Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night.
Asbury Park Theater Company to Hold Open Auditions for "The Wolves" by Sarah DeLappe
(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Asbury Park Theater Company (APTCo) has announced that its first mainstage production under newly appointed Producing Artistic Director Nate Patten will be The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer Prize finalist play that has captivated audiences across the country with its sharp wit, emotional honesty, and unforgettable portrait of young women finding their voices.
Ferrell Studios Community Theatre presents "Merrily We Roll Along"
(METUCHEN, NJ) -- Ferrell Studios Community Theatre, a nonprofit theatre organization serving Central New Jersey, announces its upcoming production of Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The production will close the company's 2025-26 season, themed "Our Time," with five performances at St. Luke's Episcopal Church Auditorium in Metuchen, NJ from August 20-23, 2026.
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents Rogue Shakespeare with "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
(MADISON, NJ) -- This August, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) invites audiences to experience Shakespeare the way it was meant to be — immediate and gloriously bold — with Rogue Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor, running August 14-23, 2026 at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University.
FEATURED EVENTS
