The Indiana Repertory Theatre is hosting their annual Young Playwrights in Process (YPIP) script writing contest. The YPIP is “an annual playwriting competition for Indiana students in grades 6-12. The competition was created in 2005 through the Margot L. and Robert S. Eccles Trust, and sponsored in collaboration with IRT. YPIP encourages middle and high school students across Indiana to create plays for live theatre that reflect and challenge their world,” according to their website.

This year, seven students from PHS are participating. They include freshman AJ Lopez; sophomores Vio Garcia, Jozelyn Kempf and Michael Hannon; juniors Manny Fleetwood and Chandler Hinton and senior Makayla Chism.

“It is a great opportunity to practice writing skills and tackle the particular challenge of writing a script, which is different in many ways from any other genre,” said high school Drama Director Maria Wishart.

The deadline for participating and turning in a script is September 24. After a script has been submitted, they will be read and evaluated by writing and theatre professionals based on many aspects, including storytelling, plot, dialogue and characters. Though all students will receive feedback on their scripts, only the top writers will get to move on in the competition, which includes improving their scripts. The winners, one high school student and one middle school student, will receive $2,000 in prize money and scholarships as well as having their play performed by professional actors.

“Obviously, it would be great if someone won the contest as they then have an opportunity to attend a workshop at IRT and would also receive that sense of accomplishment and recognition, but even if no one wins, I hope that everyone who participates enjoys the process, builds their writing abilities and has an increased awareness of the specific benefits and challenges of the script genre,” said Wishart.

Story by Michael Hannon