Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre has announced a play-writing contest for students in grades 2-12. Winners will get to see their plays on stage in the theater’s spring production.
The theatre club is looking for original plays, no more than 20 minutes long, although they could be as short as a minute or two. Plays must be appropriate for young people to perform and to see. Each play will be judged on: the story it tells, characters and dialog, readability and flow, staging possibilities, creativity and imagination, and drama directions.
The submission date is Nov. 15, and winners will be announced by Dec. 9. Submissions must include name, age, grade, school, phone number, address, and parents’ names; submissions will not be returned, and submitting your work implies your agreement for it to be used by the club.
In order to help with this project, HSBCT’s Drama Club will focus its opening workshop on how to write a play — what goes into creating a story that can be acted out on stage. The workshop will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church on Court Street in Houlton. It will include Drama Club registration at 9:15 a.m.
Plays may be submitted, with or without workshop attendance, to Pam Chernesky at Southside School, Susan McMann at Wellington School, or Barbara Hogan, 21 South St., Houlton, Maine, 04730, behh@hogansystems.net.
HSBCT’s board of directors, possibly with Drama Club assistance, will select plays to be performed in the spring. Winning writers may help in producing their play in whatever way they would like, through directing, tech work or acting.
HSBCT has involved children in many phases of its annual production — acting on stage, working backstage, running sound and lights, helping with makeup, assisting in making the props and set. Writing the plays is a new way for students to share their ideas and creativity, bringing their stories to life. For more information, please contact Barbara Hogan, 532-2901, or Mary Miller, 757-7200.
