Theatre Odyssey

Theatre Odyssey

Student Ten-Minute Playwriting Festival

The Theater Man
Olivia Yagy, Jenny Aldrich Walker, Don Walker, Grace Casanova and Derek Dutcher in Kea Kamiya’s winning play, The Theater Man. (Photo by Kim Coffman)

 

The Drill
Paul Mullen, Tami Vaughan, Olivia Yagy, Tyler Gevas and Roxy Gevas in The Drill. (Photo by Kim Coffman)

THE THEATER MAN by Kea Kamiya (State College of Florida Collegiate School), a sweet and sentimental play about a theater owner despondent about the closing of his establishment but visited by characters from the past who remind him of the wonderful things he and his theater did for them, won Best Play and a $1,000 scholarship thanks to the generosity of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The play was directed by Robert Ennis Turoff and members of the cast were Don Walker, Grace Casanova, Olivia Yagy, Derek Dutcher, and Jenny Aldrich Walker.

Pine View School’s Spencer Opal-Levine penned THE DRILL. An emergency alarm at a school is the backdrop for a frank and sensitive discussion about the pressures felt by today’s high school students. Directed by Mark Woodland, the play’s cast included Paul Mullen, Tami Vaughan, Tyler Gevas, Roxy Gevas, and Olivia Yagy. The playwright receives a $500 scholarship, also from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, for his effort.

The Executive Producers for this year’s festival were the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and Paragon Festivals.

 

  • A Whole Lot of Nothing by Sarah MacPhail, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School
  • The Benjamin Franklin Act by Elaina Mizak, Pine View School
  • Love is in the Air by Emily Hikade, Riverview High School
  • Past Life by Mia Mariano, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School
  • The Clock by Maxine Mandt, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School
  • The Jeffrey Effect by Kassandra Haakman, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School
  • The Drill by Spencer Opal-Levine, Pine View School
  • The Theater Man by Kea Kamiya, State College of Florida Collegiate School
 

Festival Adjudicators

Dr. Bill Jones is Principal of Manatee School for the Arts, Palmetto, Florida. However, with a background in music and theatre, he has appeared many times on local stages. Lacey Knispel teaches acting and theatrical improvisation at Sarasota High School where she serves as director of the theatre department. She is also on faculty at the Players Studio teaching dance and musical theatre, and directing their summer mini camps. Kyle Ann Lacertosa is the director of performing arts at Cardinal Mooney High School.

Executive Producer

Paragon Festivals

Executive Producer

Community Foundation of Sarasota County