EAST LANSING—On Saturday, May 13, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. in Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre, six of mid-Michigan’s top high school playwrights will be recognized as finalists in this year’s Young Playwrights Festival. Each finalist’s project, after a one-of-a-kind mentoring program with theater professionals, will be directed and performed live at Wharton Center. The Saturday performance is free and open to the public with first come, first served seating.

The Young Playwrights Festival is a collaboration between Institute for Arts & Creativity at Wharton Center and the MSU Department of Theatre. The area’s top student writers submit their one-act scripts to this juried competition in hopes of seeing their work performed live on the Wharton Center
stage by MSU Department of Theatre students. Of these entries, six of the top playwrights are chosen to collaborate with professional theater mentors who will provide creative expertise and guidance as the students workshop their original projects.

Professional theater mentors include: Joe Zettlemaier, Michigan-based playwright; Pam Sterling, Arizona State University; Joe Giardiana, theatre artist, New York City; Amanda Ewing, University of Michigan; Ken LaZebnik, playwright and screenwriter; and Randy Wyatt, Aquinas College.

The 2017 Young Playwrights finalists are:

• Jennifer Nelson from Hartland High School: Hi I Am
• Celia Spink from Okemos High School: Soilmates
• Jessica Wilcoxen from Williamston High School: Brain Matter
• Nora Graham from Williamston High School: A Quest for Fame
• Michaela Zewde from Williamston High School: Cursed Tongue
• Kayla Effner from Williamston High School: The Comedy Club