CLARKS SUMMIT — Abington Heights High School students have the chance to display both writing and acting skills for the ninth annual New Playwrights’ Festival Tuesday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m. It’s a show of original works, including short plays, monologues and poems written, directed and performed by students.
“The festival is mostly student-driven,” said John Monahan, organizer of the festival. “Students write, direct and act in the pieces. They are in charge of the scheduling rehearsals, planning lights and sound, and gathering props and costumes.”
Monahan advises and consults with students as they rehearse their pieces. One of the students in this year’s festival is 12th-grade student Jeffrey Barlow, who wrote and directed a play called “The Manager.” It’s a comical play about a dad who takes his daughter to Chuck E. Cheese but the manager there gives him trouble.
“I like participating in this because you get to act in and see the ideas that your classmates come up with,” he said. “It’s really fun to see what everyone else’s creativity.”
Jeffrey’s twin brother Brian is also participating in the festival. He wrote and directed a play called “The Last Slice.”
K.D. Jordan, senior of Abington Heights, is the writer and director of a play called “That’s Entertainment.” The play is about two girls, Ashley and Blythe, in detention. Blythe won’t stop singing show tunes triggered by words that other people say. Ashley struggles to deal with it because she loves show tunes, but she’s afraid to embrace that side of herself.
“I first participated in Playwrights last year, and it was a blast,” she said. “I wrote a play called “The Intermission” about actors having mental crises during intermission. This year, I wanted to stay true to myself and write a musical comedy. Many writers write about what they know, so I wrote about a subject that I’m very passionate about: musical theatre. There are many references from a variety of different plays (so keep your eyes and ears peeled). The Playwright’s Festival really means a lot to me. It’s a rare opportunity that not a lot of high schools do to allow students to write and workshop new plays. It’s always interesting seeing the journey from when you have your first draft to when it’s finally on stage. I also love seeing my friends’ plays as well, getting to see their ideas and stories come to life.”
Other works by students include poems by Nihal Arslan called “Imperialism” and World; “Broadcast Your Wealth (emotional),” a play by Sawyer Rippon; “When Love Never Comes,” a play by Emma Holbrook; “Zinnias,” a play by Zoe McGlynn; “Chaos,” a monologue by Emily Mott; “MLK,” “Grey,” and “Moss,” poems and monologue by Alexandra Thornton; “Modernity has Failed Us,” a monologue by Alexandra Perfilio; “Vision,” a monologue by Dimitri Bartels; “Back to the Water” and “Fears,” poems by Thomas Ziagos; “The Undone World,” a poem by Bridget Jubon; “Tundra,” a poem by Megan Healey.
“Some of the works will be fully memorized and staged performances, but some will simply be recited,” said Monahan.
