ETC Accepting Applications for 2025 Young Playwrights Festival

Ensemble Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that applications are now open for the 2025 Young Playwrights Festival. Designed for aspiring playwrights aged 14-19, this tuition-free program is a cornerstone of ETC’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of storytellers. The 2025 Young Playwrights Festival offers a transformative creative experience that is crucial to ensuring a vibrant future for American theater.

The Festival is a four-month journey where participants will craft a 10-minute play within a supportive and inspiring environment. Under the guidance of professional directors and actors, these original works will be publicly presented, bringing young voices to the forefront of our community’s theatrical scene.

Program Overview:

YPF is structured in three comprehensive phases:

Phase One:

Students attend weekly 2-hour sessions, which will be held both in-person and on Zoom, starting January 11, 2025. These sessions will cover playwriting fundamentals, the evolution of American theater, and drama’s key principles. Participants will complete a rough draft of their play by March 15, 2025.

Phase Two:

In April, students receive personalized mentorship from professional playwrights, assisting them through the revision process, with the final draft. Final drafts are due by April 20, 2025.

Phase Three:

Students will engage in a casting session on April 26, 2025. Casting will be followed by rehearsals from April 28 to May 9, leading up to the final rehearsal and performance day on May 10, 2025. A post-show reception will follow the festival in the New Vic Courtyard. 

Throughout the program, students will learn dramatic composition principles, develop original plays, and engage in collaborative creative sessions. The program will culminate with their work being brought to life on stage.

Application Process:

·       Deadline for Applications: Sunday, December 1, 2024

·       Notification of Results: By Sunday, December 20, 2024

·       Participant Requirements: Ages 14-19

·       Program Limit: 10 participants

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore your creative potential and contribute to the future of theater. 

Apply today by visiting Young Playwrights Festival – ETC at the New Vic.

This tuition-free program is accessible to all aspiring playwrights, ensuring everyone has the chance to embark on this creative journey.

The ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY is Santa Barbara’s sole professional theater company, enriching the community with professional theatrical events that entertain, educate, provoke thought, ignite imagination, and encourage conversation. A premier regional theater, ETC embraces the creation of new works. ETC also presents innovative productions of classic plays that appeal to and engage a diverse community. Through outreach events, the organization develops the community’s knowledge and appreciation of live stage productions. And it provides a range of educational programs for local students.

ETC has been home to several world, American, and West Coast premieres and has received recognition and accolades throughout its enduring history. ETC operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union for American actors and state managers, and in 2024 became the newest member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association representing 80 of the most prestigious regional theatres in the country. For more information, visit etcsb.org. 

Photo Credit: Minh Tran: Actor Sophia Ross at ETC Young Playwrights Festival 2021