Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival

Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival Announces Call for Submissions and Names Scholarships after Western Wind Foundation and Cherry Lane Alternative

PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, October 9, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF), which promotes and encourages theatrical creative writing to all elementary, middle, and high school students within Riverside County, announced that it is now accepting submissions for the 6th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival. Submissions will be accepted through March 31 from students enrolled in any school in a Riverside County school. When the submission window closes, a selection committee will review all submissions and choose the most outstanding plays. Each winner will receive a mentorship to enhance their play, a free public staged reading by professional actors, and a $500 scholarship to help further their career in the arts. Winning plays will be announced by April 15th, 2024. The 6th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival will be held in June 2024 at The Palm Springs Cultural Center. More information may be found at psypf.org.
 
In addition, the Festival also announced that it is now naming its two annual scholarships after long-time donors Western Wind Foundation and Cherry Lane Alternative. 
 
"For the past six years, two organizations have continued to support and nurture The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival to expand our growth and commitment to young playwrights throughout Riverside County,” said David Youse, Executive Director of the Festival. “We are thrilled to now name our scholarship awards after their generous efforts the Western Wind Award and the CLA Award (Cherry Lane Alternative). Having the support of these two organizations has been invaluable to our efforts of bringing theatrical writing to our youth."  
 
The Western Wind Foundation has supported hundreds of mission-driven non-profit organizations focusing on economic and social development, education opportunities and excellence, environmental justice, and the performing arts.   
 
"It has been a continual pleasure to work with The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival over the past few years, from the concept through launch and wonderful growth,” added Jeremy Hobbs, Western Wind Foundation. I know firsthand how important their work is, how much it benefits the young people in our region, and how much it opens the doors for artistic endeavors. I also know how valuable honest, constructive, and positive feedback is for young people starting in the arts."

For twenty-six years, Cherry Lane Alternative's Obie Award-winning program, Mentor Project, has launched the plays of more than 65 playwrights, including Rajiv Joseph and Katori Hall, through mentorship from development to producing full productions and opening to the public.
 
"The work that David Youse and The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival is doing is imperative and substantive, nurturing the youth of our beloved America and raising our awareness by sharing their truth and telling their stories,” said Angelina Fiordellisi, Founding Artistic Director of Cherry Lane Alternative. “Bravo!" 
 
The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival maintains an active alumni advisory board of previous festival winners. 

This year, George Sandoval (2023 winner) joins Brooklyn Rutledge (2022 winner), Yamani Scoggins (2021 winner), Cal Vaughan (2020 and 2021 winner), Ava Hemstreet (2020 winner), Jacob Stockwell (2020 winner) and Xuan Anh Ly Biggs (2020 and 2023 winner). 
 
Recently, PSYPF partnered with The Riverside County Office of Education to expand its outreach to young playwrights, including not just the Coachella Valley but all of Riverside County. PSYPF is supported by Louisa Higgins, Visual and Performing Arts Administrator for The Riverside County Office of Education.
 
PSYPF is funded by Western Wind Foundation with Jeremy Hobbs, Cherry Lane Alternative with Angelina Fiordellisi, Jason Smith and Tom Valach, Tom Hartnett and Paul Reid, and Dorothy and Mel Lefkowitz.
 
PSYFP is sponsored by The Riverside County Office of Education, Kimpton Rowan Hotel of Palm Springs with Peggy Trott, General Manager, and The Palm Springs Cultural Center with Michael Green as Executive Director.

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Contact:  O’Bayley Communications – Bob Bogard • bob@obayley.net
PSYPF – David Youse • info@psypf.org 
 

DAVID YOUSE
Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival
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