The 2011 Young Voices High School Monologue Festival kicks off today! Presented by Philadelphia Young Playwrights and InterAct Theatre Company, the 4-day Festival offers staged performances of winning student-penned monologues, performed by professional actors from Philadelphia’s theatre community. Performances open to the public will be held on Thursday, February 17 at 7pm and Saturday, February 19 at 2pm at The Adrienne Theater.

Monologue playwright and student blogger Glenna Walsh has been actively documenting her experiences in the Festival at the Young Voices blog. Glenna goes behind the scenes of the competition, from an inside-look at the writing process of her monologue Predisposition, to what its like to work with actors and more. Read more »

Lately, stories of school bullying and teen suicide have taken the forefront in the news and the minds of many. Next week, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, in collaboration with Temple University, will present the 2010 New Voices: Workshop Productions series, a free theater showcase featuring winning student-penned plays which touch on serious issues effecting young people and their loved ones.

If you have tweens and teens (or know a few), we encourage you to check out the series. New Voices offers parents/guardians/friends a forum to jump start a proactive dialogue about such life-changing issues facing many kids today. This year’s New Voices program holds special significance, in light of recent events and our country’s increasing efforts to mobilize and begin a fresh conversation about the suffering of both bullied and disadvantaged youth. Heavy (and timely) topics explored in New Voices include plays about being gay and dealing with homophobia, religion and the meaning of life, violence, body image, death in the family, war, and plain old teenage angst, among others. Read more »