West Windsor and Plainsboro teens are involved in two play festivals in the upcoming weeks. West Windsor Library’s three-day Teen Play Festival takes place from Friday to Sunday, June 2 to 4.##M:[more]## The teens wrote six short plays and most of the actors are also from West Windsor and Plainsboro. The following weekend the third annual Youth Ink Play Festival at McCarter Theater features two plays written by High School South students. They will be produced during the two-day showcase on Friday and Saturday, June 9 and 10.
Michael Kerr, the head of the reference section at the library, is not only directing most of the plays, but is also acting in several. Linda Heydt of Plainsboro is the light operator and co-director for the playfest. The performances, funded by the Friends of the West Windsor Library, are free and reservations are not required. “Because of mature themes in some of the plays, the productions are recommended for ages 13 and up,” says Kerr.
The one act plays written by High School South students include “West Windsor, NJ” by Devika Balaram; “The Greatest Heist Ever” by Keerthi Chandrasekaran; “Callback” by Alexa Hoyne; and “Of Perfection and its Minions” by Jennifer Yu.
Plays written by High School North students include “An Unperfect Score” by Jennifer Lennon, Emily Nowlin, and Matthew Sawma; and “Cinder-Ellen” by Komal Yadav and Shirley Yuan.
Cast members, most acting in more than one show, include Gladys Hahn, Rachel Starr, Rachel Taub, Mike Zahorsky, Allison Latham, Ryan Alonzom, Komal Yadav, Shirley Yuan, Viriginia Young, Marina Santana, Ann Kerr, William Kerr, and Cindy Sauber
Another teen play festival will be held at McCarter Theater the following weekend. “Ten Minutes Too Long (Until I Think of a Better Title” written by Anu Bhargava, a senior at High School South, and “Life as a Balloon,” written by Sarah McKnight, a junior at High School South, will be performed.
The 10-minute plays were written with the guidance of teaching artists, classroom teachers, and fellow student dramaturges. The playwriting competition program involved four area schools in a playwriting residency focusing on writing exercises, in-class improvisations, and assignments to prepare students to write their own plays.
In mid-March, more than 210 student-written plays were submitted for review; six were chosen for the festival. A post show discussion with directors, cast members, and playwrights takes place after each performance.
Play Festival, West Windsor Library, 333 North Post Road, 609-799-0462. Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3, 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 4, 2 p.m.
Youth Ink! Play Festival, McCarter Theater, The Room, 91 University Place, 609-258-6511. Register. $10 donation. Friday, June 9, 4 p.m.; Saturday, June 10, 4 and 7 p.m.
