Education and Outreach Partnerships
Young Playwrights Showcase
Your story belongs onstage.
Are you a high school student with a story to tell? The Tennessee Stage Company New Play Festival in partnership with the Tennessee Theatre invites young writers across East Tennessee to submit an original ten-minute play for the first Young Playwrights Showcase.
Your play can be funny, moving, strange, suspenseful, realistic, or completely unexpected. Write about something you know, something you wonder about, or a world only you could imagine. No previous playwriting experience is required -- we want to hear your voice.
What happens if my play is selected?
A panel of theatre artists from the Tennessee Stage Company and Tennessee Theatre will select three plays for development and a public staged reading as part of the New Play Festival.
Each selected playwright will:
- Be paired with a personal mentor who will attend all meetings and festival activities with them
- Receive exclusive theatre tours and invitations to sit in on development rehearsals during the New Play Festival in January 2027
- Receive feedback from a New Play Festival Development Series playwright
- Work with a professional director and actors
- Participate in a rehearsal on Friday evening, January 8, 2027
- Hear their play presented as a staged reading at The Annex in the Tennessee Theatre's 612 Building on Saturday, January 9, 2027 at 2pm
Who can submit?
The Young Playwrights Showcase is open to high school students from across East Tennessee, including students attending public, private, and homeschools.
To participate, writers must be available for both the rehearsal and public showcase.
What should I submit?
Submit one (1) original ten-minute play as a PDF.
Your script should:
- Be approximately 8 to 12 pages
- Tell a complete story
- Be written for live performance
- Be entirely your own original work
Please name your PDF using the title of your play.
How to submit
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at 11:59pm ET
Complete the online submission form with a parent or guardian and upload your script as a PDF.
There is no fee to submit.
Not sure where to begin?
Start with a character.
Start with a question.
Start with an argument, a secret, a surprise, or a moment you can't stop thinking about.
A ten-minute play doesn't need a huge cast, an elaborate setting, or a complicated plot. It just needs characters who want something and a reason for the audience to keep watching. The most important thing is to begin.
Questions?
For questions about the Young Playwrights Showcase or assistance with the submission process, contact David Ratliff (david@tennesseestage.com) or Alex Drinnen (adrinnen@tennesseetheatre.com).