(UNION, NJ) -- Twelve talented New Jersey high school students will be honored in The Theater Project's 22nd annual Young Playwrights Performance and Awards Ceremony on Monday, March 25, 2024 at 7:30pm. The event includes opportunities to meet the honorees and see the four winning plays read by professional actors. The Theater Project, is a leading incubator for rising talent and a showcase for New Jersey artists. The event is free to watch via Zoom.

Registration for the free Zoom performance/ceremony is open to the public here. 

First Prize winner August Sullivan, Communications High School, Wall Township, had this to say about his experience as a first-time playwright: “I initially wrote this play for a Creative Writing assignment. At first, I wasn't going to submit my play [to the competition] but as I continued to write it, I became attached to it. The characters became more fleshed out and interesting, and I grew to love it more and more as I wrote. I showed it to my friends, who also loved it, and I decided to submit afterwards. The chance--no matter how small it seemed--to show others a story I cared so deeply about wasn't something I could pass up.”

“We hear this every year,” says Theater Project’s Board President Kevin Carver, who coordinates the state-wide competition. “The competition and a teacher inspire students to dip their toes in an area that stimulates their creativity and verbal and critical thinking skills in a way that very few academic assignments can.”

Each year, 800 public and private high schools in New Jersey are invited to participate. Since its inception, students from 77 New Jersey high schools have been honored in the annual Young Playwrights Competition. The Theater Project offers virtual “Getting Started” workshops to interested schools. Every entrant is offered an opportunity to review their script with an adult playwright after the results have been announced.

This year’s honorees are:

First Prize: Two-Headed Calf by August Sullivan, Communications High School, Wall Township

Second Prize (a tie): Again Tomorrow by Karma Beech-Wilson, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy, Elizabeth; and Roommates by Merinrose Cheriyan, Bergen County Academies, Hackensack

Third Prize: The Death Gamble by Jaylen Mingo, Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy, Elizabeth

Honorable Mentions:

Everett Bologna, West Morris Mendham High School

Elena Gergis, Bergen County Academies, Hackensack

Jack LaRocca, Communications High School, Wall Township

Allison Lee, East Brunswick High School

Kirsten Marcelin, Bergen County Academies, Hackensack

Katrina Migliore, Communications High School, Wall Township

Allison Quinn, Communications High School, Wall Township

Mia Ulrich, Governor Livingston High School, Berkeley Heights

The top four playwrights share the prestigious Joseph Curka Award for Young Playwrights, named for her husband by Mrs. Marion Curka, one of the first supporters of The Theater Project. In addition to cash awards, certificates, and recognition, four playwrights will see their one-act plays performed by professional actors at the online event. The performance will include the awards presentation, the opportunity to meet the twelve honorees, and a post-show conversation with the audience.

The Young Playwrights Competition is made possible in part by a grant from Citizens Bank.

For further information on The Theater Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit, professional theater producing off-Broadway quality shows for New Jersey audiences, visit TheTheaterProject.org.