On May 19, 2020, Vermont Young Playwrights offers an amazing and one of a kind opportunity for students! 

Vermont Stage, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Weston Playhouse, and a collection of professional theatre artists are putting together a festival with the largest youth playwriting program in the state. 

Students come from all over Vermont and from every type of background. Each student has the same opportunity to write a ten minute play and potentially have it performed or cold read by professional actors at the Flynn Theatre. 

Susan Palmer is the drama teacher at BFA, but is also an actor and director herself. She explains the process of student work being chosen. 

“We’ve always had a reading and a cold reading. So they choose one to be performed with actors and actually have a rehearsal and the playwright gets to sit in on the rehearsal, it is a 90 minute rehearsal. Then they choose one to have a cold reading, so that doesn’t get a rehearsal, but actors stand on stage and read it,” Palmer said. 

Palmer’s additional roles, besides being a BFA teacher, factor into her participation at the festival.

“I like to perform in the festival, I’ve been an actor for the festival, and a director for 15 years so I don’t like to miss that part. The school has been letting me take a professional day so that I can be involved as an actor and then somebody comes with our students. It’s kind of fun for the students I think,” Palmer said. 

Vermont Young Playwrights is an opportunity open to any student who would like to join. It is highly encouraged to join, as it is a fun and exciting festival. 

Those who are interested in joining can contact Palmer herself through her school email at [email protected]. The official Vermont Young Playwrights website can be reached here. 

Good luck and happy writing to those young playwrights!