City Opera House

Events Directions

Sponsored by MSU Federal Credit Union

Young Playwrights Festival

Your voice. Your topic. Your play.

City Opera House invites regional high school students to submit an original one-act play—just 9-12 pages with 4 characters or less—to the 13th Annual Young Playwrights Festival. Finalists are paired with national theater mentors, win $100 and see their play performed on the City Opera House stage.

Script entry deadline: Friday, December 15, 2023.

Semifinalists and finalists announced: February 2024

YPF Festival Performance: April 14, 2024 1:30pm

Picture this:

Get started:

One-act plays are only nine to twelve pages of script with lines and spaces for each character and you only have time for one significant event. Start writing.

Educator and Mentor Resources

Educators and mentors play a key role in the success of the program. Whether you hand pick students with a passion for writing or incorporate Young Playwrights Festival into the classroom curriculum or program we welcome your support. 

Young Playwrights Festival complements the ELA Common Core Standards and offers an alternate way for students to learn and grow.

Entrants:

Finalists:

Finalists are matched with professional theatre mentors who guide students through revisions via email and in person the weekend of the festival performance. YPF is a juried competition.

Past YPF mentors are nationally recognized and include:


Questions? Email [email protected] or call Executive Director at 231.941.8082 ext. 202.

Young Playwrights Festival is sponsored by MSU Federal Credit Union with additional support from National Writers Series, Old Town Playhouse, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Arts & Culture Council

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