FST Announces Winners Of Annual Youth Playwriting Competition

(Sarasota, FL) – Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to announce the winning plays of this year’s annual youth playwriting competition. Now in its 33rd year, FST’s WRITE A PLAY program is an arts-in-education initiative, providing students with the example, the inspiration, and the skills to write their own original plays. Over the course of the 2023-2024 academic year, FST received submissions from more than 8,000 playwrights.

This year, the WRITE A PLAY experience culminates on Florida Studio Theatre’s five-theatre campus with Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) Day, an annual celebration of children’s imagination and creativity. On Saturday, May 18, participating students, teachers, and families from across the state of Florida will come together to enjoy live performances of the year’s winning plays brought to life by professional actors.

This year’s compilation of winning plays is titled The Power of Peanut Butter & Other Winning Plays. Following these live performances, playwrights are honored in an awards ceremony and are presented with certificates and medals on stage. The 2024 Young Playwrights Festival Day is a private event, reserved for the winning playwrights, their families, and educators who participated in this year’s WRITE A PLAY program.

“There is absolutely nothing like the excitement and pride these young playwrights show when they see something that they wrote and imagined on stage,” said Caroline Saldivar. “It takes courage to share your creativity and express yourself, but it is so important. We’re looking forward to coming together with friends, family, and the community to celebrate the plays of these amazing young writers.”

Thanks to generous support from individual donors, WRITE A PLAY continues to inspire the next generation of playwrights. Support from the Community Foundation of Sarasota, Manatee Community Foundation, The Patterson Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, Publix Super Markets Charities, Wells Fargo Foundation, Embracing Our Differences, and the Sister Cities Association of Sarasota. also made this year’s WRITE A PLAY program possible. WRITE A PLAY is also sponsored in part by the Bank of America Client Foundation and by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

A full list of the winning plays and playwrights who will be recognized at this year’s YPF Day follows the end of this release. For more information about FST’s WRITE A PLAY program, please contact FST’s Children’s Theatre Associate, Kacy Jones, at kjones@floridastudiotheatre.org.

2023-2024 Winning Plays and Playwrights (Grades K-6)

West Town By Kingsley Romeo Garcia Trujillo
Manatee School for the Arts
Michael Bajjaly - Grade 6

A Matter of Change By Lena Chesnoff
Fruitville Elementary
Kathryn Valach and Nicole See - Grade 4

The Problem By Bryce Wilkinson
McNeal Elementary
Stacy Freeman - Grade 3

Big Turtle Problem By Sebastian Popoca
Holy Name School
MaryBeth Buchhofer - Grade 3

The Shortest Candle By Ms. Daughenbaugh’s 4th Grade Class
Vineland Elementary
Mary Daughenbaugh - Grade 4

Why a Wolf Has a Long Tail By Christopher Pierce
Pine View School
Sarah Bass - Grade 3

The Bird Who Flew the Coop By William Bleicher
Tatum Ridge Elementary
Sherri Braunstein - Grade 4

The Flying Penguin By Ryan Regan
Tatum Ridge Elementary
Sherri Braunstein - Grade 5

The Lonely Lion By Elia Cianfaglione
Bay Haven School of Basics Plus
Kandace Budai - Grade 2

Underwater Adventure By Liam Lear
Bay Haven School of Basics Plus
Mary Wedebrock - Grade 3

2023-2024 Winning Plays and Playwrights (Grades 7-12)

Insert Play Name Here By Aaron Gordon
Braden River High School
Ricardo Robinson-Shinall - Grade 10

Mayhem at Grandma’s Mansion By Aila Robertson
Hackley School
Merideth Maddox - Grade 7

THE PLAN By Matrick Thorpe
Pine View School
David Mannino - Grade 11

Stay With Me By Susie Bond
St. Columbia’s RC High School
Angela Malcolm - Grade 9

A Dream Fulfilled By Manor Padal
Shelanu School
Bracha Menashe - Grade 6

The Bravery of Isaac Finkel By Raphael-Ben Horin and Matti Richard
Or Tora Tel Mond
Sevrine Mechaly, Miriam Kramer - Grade 6

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF CLOTHES By Mrs. Mills’s Beginner Musical Theatre Class
Booker Middle School
Carrie Mills - Grade 6,7,8

The Adventurous Bubble By Celia Collier
Sarasota Middle School
Dr. Laura Segreto - Grade 7

Songbirds By Valerie Rettig
Braden River High School
Ricardo Robinson-Shinall - Grade 9

The Dance By Nella Duty
Riverview High School
Adam Ratner - Grade 9

ABOUT FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is Sarasota’s contemporary theatre. Founded in 1973, FST has grown to a village of five theatres located in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Each theatre is small in size and large in impact— providing intimate and engaging settings for high-quality, professional performances.

Today, FST has established itself as a major force in American Theatre. FST is the largest subscription theatre in the state of Florida and among the largest in the country, serving more than 200,000 live attendees each year across its diverse programs: Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, Children’s Theatre, The FST School, New Play Development, and FST Improv.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to as many people as possible. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. Hip and historical, entertaining and challenging, we are where everyone is welcome to engage in the art of theatre.

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