TEMPE, ARIZ: Childsplay Theatre’s Write Now Festival will feature four diverse pieces for young audiences over the weekend of March 16-19, 2017.

The finalists, paired with a creative team, will present readings of their pieces at Write Now. Attendees will also get the chance to see a production of The Yellow Boat and hear from the show’s original production team including David Saar, Carol North, Judy Matetzschk-Campbell, and Susan Zeder. Participants will also attend a workshop led by Michael Rohd.

The four finalists are:

Blu, by Gloria Bond Clunie, tells the story of Blu Peterson, an extraordinarily artistic teen. Blu faces bullying because of his artistic expression, but continues to view the world through a technicolor lens in this story of loss and friendship. The show will be directed by Carol North, with dramaturgy by Graham Whitehead.

Ramón Esquivel’s The Hero Twins: Blood Race harks back to classic Mayan mythology, following a stonecutter named Moth who attempts to free her twin brother, Cricket, from the underworld. Moth faces many trials and must use her intelligence to make it through alive. The show will be directed by Courtney Sale, with dramaturgy by Christina Marín.

In A Squirrel Boy, A Robot Cat, But Also Parents, by Jonathan Graham, Max and June are two 13-year-olds who love to draw in order to escape the realities of their bad living situations. The show will be directed by Nina Meehan, with dramaturgy by Matthew Weiner.

Lastly, My Name is Loofa Tutu, by Nicholas Kryah, follows Loofa Tutu, an adventure-hungry girl who finds herself in a mysterious realm which leads her to pursue the elusive “X” of “X marks the spot.” The show will be directed by Annie Cusick Wood, with dramaturgy by Megan Alrutz.

Childsplay Theatre’s mission is to perform for and teach young audiences and their families. Write Now is a new play festival focused on developing works for young audiences, and is partially funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.