PCA's Annual Young Playwrights Festival

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12th year anniversary of the festival

Submissions are now OPEN. Use the info on this page to help you craft your script, then use this link to submit before April 30, 2022.

Scripts will be read and scored by a panel of readers from Suze's Prescott Center for the Arts. The winning playwrights will be awarded their prizes at the 1st Festival Performance.

1st Place Award--$250

2nd Place Award--$150

3rd Place Award--$100

The winning plays, plus plays receiving Honorable Mentions, will be produced at the Young Playwrights Festival at Suze's PCA this June 4-5, 2022.

The playwrights for these selected plays will be invited to participate in PCA’s Young Playwrights Workshop, working with published playwrights and PCA directors and technical staff to bring their written scripts to life on the PCA stage. The workshop will take place this summer, with performances of the selected plays.

All submitting playwrights will be invited to participate in selected Master Classes during the Young Playwrights Workshop.

Auditions for plays being produced, as part of the Young Playwrights Festival will be announced in late May or Early June. Playwrights are invited to audition for the selected plays, and auditions are open to all interested actors. Those who wish to audition need to be aware that rehearsals for the performances will take place during the dates of the Young Playwrights Workshop. There may be possible Master Classes included in the workshop that will be open to actors in the Festival Shows.

(***If you are submitting a play, please mark your calendar with the dates of the Young Playwrights Workshop and Festival. We want our submitting playwrights to be able to participate in this amazing experience.***)

2022 Calendar

April 30th - Script Submission Deadline

May 8th - Writers Workshop

May 14th and 15th - Scripts and production list finalized

May 27th and 28th - Casting and rehearsals start

May 30th to June 3rd - Rehearsals and Tech week

June 4th and 5th - Final Performances at 2pm

Instructions for Submissions
Submissions must be from students that are AZ residents and winners must be willing to participate in the playwright workshop and performances later this year.
(Please read carefully)
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Please pay very close attention to the following Play writing guidelines:

Must be a resident of Arizona
*******IMPORTANT*******
Plays are limited to only run 10 MINUTES! (This is approximately 10 - 12 type written pages of dialog.) It is critical to read your play out-loud to get a sense of how long it will run. If the reading panel believes your play will run significantly OVER 10 minutes, it will be eliminated from consideration to be included in the Festival.
IMPORTANT!!: At the beginning of the script, please include character names and descriptions.
Only ONE play may be submitted per student or writing team. Remember, each team member must submit the same script separately.
Limit the number of characters ( 2 - 6 is ideal)
Limited the number of set locations (1 - 2 is ideal)
Use the KISS philosophy (Keep It Simple, Students!)
Make sure you have edited spelling and grammar, because authors may NOT submit revisions of their work until the Festival begins.
Scripts must be uploaded in a WORD or PDF file
Pages must be numbered
Font size no less than 12 point
Use no less than double spacing
IMPORTANT: Plays should include a Title page with ONLY the following information: Title of Play, Playwright’s grade, and Playwright’s date of birth.
No other identifying information should appear anywhere on the script.
Stage directions are helpful (but not required) to include and are not part of the reading time or page limit.

These guidelines may seem confining, and to some degree they are, but they are in place to best serve the festival. Authors need to be very imaginative and creative in working within the parameters. Those who do, stand the best chance to be produced.

Instructor Contact Info

Debra White: dclarewhite@me.com

Four-time YPF winner Glory Glidden during the 2017 writing workshop.

Winning Scripts

Take a look at these scripts from students who won YPF in previous years and were produced at PCA

A Dilemma of the Heart, a Plight of the Stomach

by David Wauters

The Princess Trap

by Sierra Schaible

Krygan Pie
by Aaron Ott

Lonely Hearts

by Rebecca Adler

Submit to the Young Playwrights Festival

submit your script

YPF 2017 Documentary

Please enjoy a peek into our Young Playwrights Festival. This summer program is designed to provide young students and artists with the opportunity to see the plays they write come to life!

2020 YPF Performances

The Festival went virtual for 2020! Playwrights, directors and actors had to come up with creative new ways to bring these stories to life while respecting social distancing. These performances premiered on our YouTube channel August 16, 2020.