NEW YORK CITY: The teen playwriting contest ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence is now soliciting submissions for their annual contest, which will be judged by a prestigious panel including playwrights Lauren Gunderson, David Henry Hwang, Idris Goodwin, Samuel D. Hunter, Antoinette Nwandu, Octavio Solis, and Lloyd Suh.
“The recent mass shooting deaths of AAPI victims in California proves once again that no community in America is safe from gun violence,” said Hwang, a returning judge, in a statement. “Whatever their motivations, the shooters would have been unable to take so many lives without easy access to guns. That’s why it’s more important than ever to hear from young people across this nation who will speak their minds and say ‘enough.'”
Playwrights between the ages of 13 and 19 can submit 10-minute plays with up to 6 characters on the theme of gun violence through April 20, the 24th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. Six winning playwrights will be teamed with dramaturg mentors for the opportunity to workshop and revise their plays over the summer. A series of simultaneous readings will be produced nationwide on Nov. 6.
The winning playwrights will also receive memberships and training from the Dramatists Guild and have their work published and made available for licensing by Playscripts, Inc. They will also receive a $500 stipend sponsored by Change the Ref, a gun violence prevention organization founded by Manuel and Patricia Oliver in honor of their son, Joaquin, who was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.
“Since its beginning, I have been the fiercest fan and advocate of ENOUGH!, not only because of its unique opportunity for young playwrights but because of its important amplification of art as a sister to activism,” Gunderson, also a returning judge, said in a statement. “I’m participating again this year because I believe in the young writers ENOUGH! serves and supports.”
ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence was established in 2019 and has worked with more than 2,000 artists and 100 organizations to spark conversations about gun violence nationwide. The teen playwriting contest is organized by producer Michael Cotey. Interested teen playwrights can submit their work on ENOUGH!’s website.
