Winners of the 39th Annual Marilyn Bianchi Kids' Playwriting Festival

From DoBama Theatre: Dobama Theatre is pleased to announce the winners of the 39th Annual Marilyn Bianchi Kids’ Playwriting Festival, the longest-running celebration of young playwrights in the United States. Selected from over 230 entries submitted by Cuyahoga County students, the following plays will be produced in the Festival:

CRAZY, LAZY ZEUS by August Malemud, 2nd Grade, Dorothy Lewis Elementary, Solon

AMANDA’S ESCAPE by Ava Kaminski, 3rd Grade, Gesu Catholic School, University Heights

THE KNIGHT AND THE SHADOW by Daniel Aboumrad, 4th Grade, Royal View Elementary, North Royalton

MONKEYS V. HUMANS by Eleanor Beard, 5th Grade, Roxboro Elementary, Cleveland Heights

MARKET MAYHEM by Nancy Patel, 7th Grade, North Royalton Middle School, North Royalton

PLAIN FEAR by Hayden Miller, 8th Grade, North Royalton Middle School, North Royalton

THE BATTLE OF THE COCKROACH AND THE RHINOCEROS BEETLE by Rosalie Sajovie, 9th Grade, Garfield Heights High School, Garfield Heights

INTERMISSION by Harlan Friedman-Romell, 10th Grade, Shaker Heights High School, Shaker Heights

TWIN SIZED MATTRESS by Nadia Salett, 11th Grade, St. Martin de Porres High School, Cleveland

I SPY by Gus Mahoney, 12th Grade, Shaker Heights High School, Shaker Heights

MORRISON V. DANVERS by Yaire Rodriguez, 12th Grade, St. Martin de Porres High School, Cleveland

In addition, the following entries have been deemed Plays of Meritorious Distinction:

THE FAIRY AND THE MONSTER by Julia Lyford, 1st Grade, Roxboro Elementary, Cleveland Heights

ONE BORING SATURDAY by Francesca Koonce, 2nd Grade, Homeschool, Cleveland Heights

AMMY IN HER FANTASY by Addison Mercurio, 3rd Grade, Pleasant Valley Elementary, Parma

THE ULTIMATE GALAXY by Jason Crowe, 4th Grade, Royal View Elementary, North Royalton

BEING THE NEW GIRL by Sierra Acree, 6th Grade, Warner Girls Leadership Academy, Cleveland

HUMAN by Justin Nassif, 8th Grade, North Royalton Middle School, North Royalton

THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS TO EVER EXIST ON EARTH by Anthony Koonce, 8th Grade, Homeschool, Cleveland Heights

A GIRL’S WORST NIGHTMARE by Orly Einhorn, 10th Grade, Beachwood High School, Beachwood

AAH! THE FLOOR IS LAVA! by Ruby Gibson, 11th Grade, Shaker Heights High School, Shaker Heights

WE ALL GOT NICKNAMES by Krystal Ivy, 12th Grade, St. Martin de Porres High School,

All submitted plays received scores from at least three readers and were judged on the basis of imagination, human values, and the uniqueness of the playwright’s voice.

“The quality of the submitted plays this year made the judges’ work especially difficult,” said Festival Producer Jonathan Wilhelm. “But, I believe that the final roster of plays display an astonishing creative spectrum from the whimsical and absurd to profound reflections on current issues.”

“Reading the submissions was an absolute joy,” agreed Carrie Williams, Dobama Theatre’s new Education Associate. “Now we are eager to get the Festival production underway, and look forward to bringing these plays to life.”

The Marilyn Bianchi Kids’ Playwriting Festival is an integral part of Dobama Theatre’s mission to provide educational and outreach programming. The Festival’s mission is to provide a platform for children to express their thoughts, hopes, dreams and creativity through the writing of original plays. Through the production of these plays, the Festival strives to form a community of local artists and provide creative opportunities to all who wish to participate.

All winners will be honored at the Opening Night Benefit on June 2, 2017 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25 each. Tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 216.932.3396 or online at dobama.org.

Additional Festival performances will take place on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm and on Sunday, June 4 at 2:30 pm. All of these performances are free and open to the General Public. General seating, no reservations required.

Photo Courtesy of Dibama Theatre