Syracuse Stage announces the winners of the 2002 Young Playwright’s Festival

Syracuse Stage announces the winners of the 2002 Young Playwright’s FestivalMay 14, 2002Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Syracuse Stage is proud to announce the winners of its fourth annual Young Playwright’s Festival. This past January, Central New York high school students were asked to submit original, one-act plays. The plays were received in March and over the last few weeks a panel judged the plays on the basis of creativity, characterization, dialogue, plot and style. Three plays from those submissions were selected as winners, as well as two honorable and two special mentions. The three winning plays will be performed during “Staging the Future:” Young Playwrights Festival 2002, on May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage.

“We read and commented upon over 90 scripts,” notes Literary Associate Rachel Edwards Harvith. “For the first time we have begun to see the effects of the careful and detailed comments that we return with every script.” This year two of the five winners and four of the 12 finalists are second-time participations in the festival.

First place honors go to Camden High School student Heidi Wisniewski, 18, for her play titled, “Wonka Tonkas.” Wisniewski will receive two Syracuse Stage season ticket subscriptions for the 2002-03 season, a $50 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble and a $100 U.S. savings bond.

Second place was awarded to Whitesboro Senior High School student Brain Sfinas, 15, for his play “Whispers from the Necropolis:

The Death of a Titan.” Sfinas will receive one Syracuse Stage gift certificate for six tickets for the 2002-03 season, a $35 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble and a $75 U.S. savings bond.

Manlius Pebble Hill student Vanessa Marie Taylor Crane, 16, received third-place honors for her play “Earn.” Crane will receive a

Syracuse Stage gift certificate for two tickets to the 2002-03 season, a $25 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble and a $50 U.S. savings bond.

Two awards of honorable mention were given to Kaitlin Doby, 17, a student at Christian Brothers Academy, for her play “A Day in the Life of Flowers” and Camden High student Jessica Walker, 17, for her play “We Love Lucy.”

Over the past three years, Camden High School has produced seven of the winning or honored playwrights at the festival.

The Young Playwright’s Festival is free and open to the public. There will be an informal reception honoring all of the playwrights who submitted work to the festival following the readings.

For further information contact Literary Associate Rachel Edwards Harvith at 443-3105.