(May 28, 2002) — Young Playwrights Inc. (YPI), 21-year-old brainchild of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and producer of the annual Young Playwrights Festival, has announced the winners of the annual Young Playwrights Festival National Playwriting Competition. The seven winning plays were selected from over 1,100 entries from across the country. And the winners are…

The winning writers will arrive in NYC on June 8^th for the Young Playwrights Writers Conference, nine days of intensive playwright development, culminating with staged readings of the winning plays. The Conference provides a remarkable introduction to the professional theater – in addition to meeting and working with their peers, the winners participate in daily workshops and seminars with artists such as Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (RAGTIME, SEUSSICAL, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND), Douglas Carter Beane (MUSIC FROM A SPARKLING PLANET, AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN), Kia Corthron (COME DOWN BURNING, FORCE CONTINUUM, SEEKING THE GENESIS), and Nan Knighton (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL). Each night the young dramatists attend performances of Broadway’s and off-Broadway’s hottest shows, followed by after-play discussions with members of the creative team. Also on the schedule is the annual Chinese dinner at the home of YPI board president Alfred Uhry (DRIVING MISS DAISY, LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO, PARADE), where the young playwrights get a good look at Mr. Uhry’s Oscar, Tony, and Pulitzer.

The week concludes with staged readings of the winning plays. From these readings – each one brought to life by professional directors, actors, and dramaturgs – YPI will select several to be produced at this fall’s Young Playwrights Festival at the Cherry Lane Alternative Theatre. Winners are also awarded a complimentary membership to the Dramatists Guild Inc., America’s professional association for dramatists, composers, and lyricists.

With plays produced at nearly every major theater institution in the nation, contest winners have changed the landscape of the American theater. Past participants include Kenneth Lonergan (YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, THIS IS OUR YOUTH, THE WAVERLY GALLERY, LOBBY HERO), Rebecca Gilman (SPINNING INTO BUTTER, BOY GETS GIRL, BLUE SURGE), Keith Glover (THUNDER KNOCKING AT THE DOOR, now at the Minetta Lane), and Jonathan Marc Sherman (WOMEN AND WALLACE, SOPHISTRY), among others. For more information about the Writers Conference, Young Playwrights Festival National Playwriting Competition, or other YPI programs, call Ruth McKee at (212) 594-5440, youngplaywrights.org.