by Rose Bostwick
Playwrights’ Festival will run today and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theatre. An entirely student-run production, Playwrights’ Festival is the only Theatre Ink production that features original student playwriting.
Students will write, direct, and act in eight separate plays, which are chosen by a group of faculty members, past members of the festival, and the directors.
“You learn a lot about your peers when you discover how they write,” said senior Elena Rodríguez, a four-year member of Playwrights’. “I love it when you can hear the voice of the playwright through the dialogue in their play—it makes the play more honest and real.”
According to senior Ellie Strayer, a director with senior Peter Diamond, it is “incredibly special” to get involved with the Festival “in any form or capacity.”
“When I completed the show last year, I was able to reflect on how lucky this school is to have such a show,” said Strayer. “I decided that I had gained enough to take on a leadership role, and now I’m doing everything I can to spread its benefits.”
The ten-minute plays will include a wide variety of stories, ranging from a long car ride to an “exoplanet girl” defending her life.
“The Festival is a recognition and commemoration of student work,” said Strayer. “For me, opening night will be a night for celebration of this work.”