Chicago Reader: With uncertainty and anxiety all around us, it’s comforting to think that Pegasus Theatre Chicago’s Young Playwrights Festival perseveres. Now in its 38th season of recognizing original work for the stage created by Chicago high school students, the festival has, for many years, been the first show out of the gate in the new year. (This year’s festival begins previews January 2.) For 2025, the three young playwrights receiving full productions are all young women: Lily Zhang, Carolina Boss, and Lydia Vodopic.
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As a young member of the theater community, I am aware of how important it is to acknowledge young members making strides in the community. We are the future, and we deserve to be celebrated and recognized for our efforts. The fact that these are all high school students is amazing. The quote that really drew me into this article was the title saying, “I’ve actually created something that was worth something.” I think that this is a great quote, but also very sad to know that is how most of us artists think of our art. I think that everyone should realize that their work is worth something, regardless of the accolades or awards they receive for it. The point of creating is to make something that is worthy of yourself and that you are proud of, but I understand how the boost from others can help. However, only when we separate ourselves from this attention, can we create something that is truly worthy. I do think, though, that this experience will motivate these girls to pay more attention to their work and become invested and proud of it no matter what others say now that they have been given this boost of confidence.
I think high school theatre festivals are a great way to introduce teens to the arts and encourage them to pursue them. There are a lot of high school competitions geared towards STEM and business; DECA, which is a worldwide marketing and finance competition, draws over 300,000 participants each year. The FFA, or Future Farmers of America, boasts over 1,000,000 members who engage in similar competitions each year. Most of the theatre festivals and playwrighting competitions (excluding the wildly popular Scholastic competition) don’t have the same size or resources, but they still help encourage high schoolers to find passion in the arts. It is difficult for young playwrights to have their own work produced, especially at the professional level. The Young Playwrights Festival gives writers like Lydia Vodopic, Carolina Boss, and Lily Zhang (this year’s three winners) to see their plays performed and receive feedback from professionals and peers.
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