Play With Words

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Third ANNUAL Student PLAYWRITING CHALLENGE

The mission of the Phillips’ Mill Community Association is to promote the arts and preserve the artistic and cultural heritage of Bucks County. Phillips' Mill is committed to the active endorsement of the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of what we do as an organization and for all program participants.

In harmony with that mission, the Phillips' Mill Drama Committee established "Play with Words," a juried one-act playwriting challenge for students in grades 7 to 12.
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Entry Form

Finn Anderson

Finn Anderson is a young playwright based in Montgomery County. He finds inspiration in the abstract and submerges himself into the unknown in an attempt to uncover the truth in his writing. Anderson plans to attend a four-year university for Creative Writing and English.

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Matilda Bray

Matilda Bray is a poet, writer, and advocate for children’s literacy. Her second book of poetry was published in March 2023 through Moonstone Press. Her work has been published in Open Door Magazine, the Schuylkill Valley Journal, Neshaminy Journal, Rattle, and more.

Read More about Matilda in this Bucks County Herald article.

Corinne Brintnall

Corinne is a 7th-grade student who lives in Bucks County. She loves to draw, paint, color and do crafts. Every year around Thanksgiving or Christmas, Corinne writes a play for her family to perform. In her free time, she enjoys playing outside, writing and drawing comics, crocheting and spending time with her older sister. She has been in a number of plays with her acting class and she also loves to sing.

Saskia Cooper

Saskia was born in Westminster, England, in 2007 and moved to Princeton, New Jersey, in 2011. She is a sophomore at the Pennington School. Saskia is a devoted member of her school’s theatre program working in costumes and acting. She prides her work for being fun and ridiculous while still being moving. “The Calamity Crew” is her first official work.

Srikar Pothuraju

Srikar has always been very interested in plays and films. The sound of dialogue and the magic of drama unfolding before his eyes never fail to mesmerize him. He is eager to explore the nuances of human emotion, and his creative journey is fueled by a relentless pursuit of the artistry that transforms words into unforgettable moments. This black belt also takes an interest in competitive tennis, football, and biology.

Avigail Wus

Avigail is a freshman at Pennsbury High School, where she enjoys participating in theater and her school’s debate club. Outside of school, she is an avid reader who writes in her spare time. “The Blame Game” is her first attempt at playwriting, and she would like to thank her parents, her sister Ana, and her grandparents for always supporting her throughout her endeavors. She wishes to thank Mrs. Rowlands and Mrs. Pesature from Quarry Hill for supporting her writing journey.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 – JANUARY 12, 2025

Welcome to “Play with Words,” Phillips’ Mill’s third annual juried playwriting competition for students.

The first fifty (50) submissions received between Monday, September 9, 2024, and midnight, January 12, 2025, by students in grades 7 through 12 attending school within twenty-five miles (25) of New Hope, Pa. will be considered. Judges will evaluate all scripts in a blind submission process and select six winners. The top ten (10) plays will receive a professional written commentary.

Contest Rules

All work will be original and unpublished.
Participants will be in 7^th through 12^th grades and currently enrolled in a public, private, charter or home school within a 25-mile radius of New Hope, PA.
Playwrights under the age of 18, are to provide written consent from a parent or guardian to participate. (An e-signature consent form accompanies the entry form).
Playwrights will submit one play only.
Scripts
- can be of any genre
- are not to exceed 12 pages
- are to have 2 to 6 roles and include a short breakdown of each character
- are to have a running time of 10 minutes or less
  (Please carefully proofread your work and time your readings.)
  (We strongly encourage you to keep stage directions and scene changes to a minimum to maximize the opportunity to express your thoughts through your characters.)
Scripts to follow this format, at least:
- one-inch margins
- 12-point font
- character names capitalized
- stage directions in italics
- page numbers included
  (For more information, follow this link: AMERICAN STANDARD PLAYWRITING FORMAT)

The playwright submitting the work must have sole and exclusive rights to publish and perform it. (The work must not infringe any copyright.)‍
Scripts will be appropriate for a general audience (and refrain from extreme foul language).
Scripts are blind. That means your name cannot appear on your script. Our judges will score the scripts without knowing who the playwrights are or which schools they attend. Therefore, your script will not include any form of identification, only the entry number provided to you by our
website.
Winning playwrights will attend a staged reading of their work on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 3:00 pm.
Rehearsals for winning plays will take place at Phillips’ Mill between February 1—28, 2025
While not mandatory, we encourage playwrights to attend these rehearsals.

Entry

There is no entry fee. We ask only that you bring us your best work and enjoy the experience!

Entries must be received via our website between September 9, 2024, and January 12, 2025, midnight.

Complete the online Entry Form and Consent for Publicity Form below. You will provide a 6-digit number of your own choosing. This is your entry number and ensures that your work is judged anonymously.

The website will accept only the first fifty (50) scripts received.

Submit your script as a PDF file, using the unique entry number as the only identification of the author and as the name of the file.
Once ready, upload your submission using the on-line entry form.
Proofread your form and click “Submit.”
You will receive an email confirmation once you successfully submit your entry. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive a confirmation.

Entries will not be accepted by postal service. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact us at drama@phillipsmill.org.

Awards

Judges will choose six (6) winning plays. Awards consist of a staged reading before a live audience and a $100.00 cash prize to the playwright. (Co authored plays will share one cash prize). Authors of the six winning plays and two honorable mention playwrights will receive a professional written commentary on their work.

Production

Phillips’ Mill Drama will produce staged readings (not full productions) of the winning plays and select the director and actors for each reading.

Winning playwrights are to be available to attend the staged readings on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 3:00 pm, and participate in a moderated discussion with the audience after the readings. Please Note: this is a staged reading, not a production.

We also encourage parents, families, friends, and teachers to attend!

In the event of inclement weather, an announcement will be posted on the Phillips’ Mill website that the readings will be held the following week.

Thank you, and best of luck to you!

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