young playwrights festival

Sophia Chapadjiev is the Artistic Director of the Young Playwrights Festival and the O’Neill’s Director of Education. With nearly two decades of experience as an arts educator, Sophia has worked with a number of leading theater organizations in teaching students and teachers alike. Sophia is also a playwright and librettist whose work has been performed in New York, London, Toronto and Sydney. Her play, Over the Moon won Best Play, plus Audience Favorite at the American Globe Theater and In This House was selected as part of London’s inaugural Dark Horse Festival. Selected musical works of hers include: the one-act opera Aloha Flight 243 (music: A. Leyton-Brown) at HERE Arts Center, NY; Tobias Bentley’s World Cello Tour: of the Lesser-Known Nether Regions (music: N. Barstow) at The St. James (nka Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Other Palace), London; and the bijou opera, The Bone Keepers (music: C. O’Neil), a co-production of NYU and American Opera Projects which was highlighted in Broadway World’s opera review and described as “a kind of creep show meets Laverne and Shirley." Sophia is also the author of Teaching Playwriting: A Step-by-Step Guide to Fostering Creativity in Your Classroom. BFA, Emerson; MFA, NYU's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program.

Applications have been closed. Below is information about our 2022 application process.

NOTE: The O’Neill is only accepting digital submissions for consideration.

YOU ARE ELIGIBLE IF YOU:

• are between the ages of 12-18

• have written an original 10-15 page play

• live in the United States

• are interested in seeing a play of yours workshopped at the world-renowned Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

TO APPLY:

• You may only submit one play for consideration.

• All plays must be submitted as PDFs or Word documents. We do not accept Google Docs.

• Ensure you review the application guidelines at the top of the form.

NOTE:

• Applications must be received by 11:59pm PST, February 1.

• Application materials will not be returned or archived.

• Plays will be selected on a competitive basis.

• The O'Neill does not provide housing or travel for festival attendees.

EARLY SUBMISSIONS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED

Questions? Please contact Sophia at sophia@theoneill.org

Dramatic writing is visual writing: A play is different from a novel or a short story in that it is meant to be performed. A playwright must always focus on what the stage will look like once it is live. This can be a point of real creativity: if you want to set it in a kitchen, set it in a kitchen. If you prefer the moon, set it on the moon.

Drama is conflict: Somebody has a desire, and something stands in their way. It sounds vague, but it's the essence of drama.

Don't over-explain: Once you lose an audience, it's almost impossible to get them back. So keep things going forward, and don't pause to explain. The audience may get confused, but a little confusion can be fun. And exposition is never dramatic.

Strange events permit themselves the luxury of occurring: You've probably been exposed to Realism, with a big R. Realism was a movement that sought to represent "real life" on stage. When it debuted in the late 1800s, it caused riots. It's been the American formula for over 60 years.

But...

You don't have to follow that. You can have a hover-car chase, swap characters faces, and stage a gunfight in a field of pineapples. In fact, in Len Jenkin's Careless Love, all of that happens. If you have an idea, any idea, no matter how crazy it may seem, write it. Somebody will find a way to do it.

Have fun: Writing a play is hard and it takes a lot of work. But seeing something you wrote live on the stage is unbelievably rewarding.