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ImageJuly 30, 2008 (ITHACA, NY) For young people in the Hangar Theatre’s Next Generation School of Theatre, playwriting was not something they learned in their English class. After a series of intense workshops with a local playwright at their summer theatre program, these elementary and middle school students put their pencils to the paper and didn’t lift them until their stories were down. The experience didn’t stop there for these young playwrights.  Their plays will be showcased in Kiddplay! premiering at the Hangar Theatre on Saturday, August 2nd at 10 am and 12 noon.

Five plays were selected to be performed and their pre-teen playwrights were whisked into rehearsals with talented actors and directors from the Hangar’s nationally recognized Lab Company.  Through this artistic partnership of two different Hangar education programs, these Next Generation students further discovered their voices and refined their plays.

Young people can relate to these stories written by kids; plays that explore real issues, such as popularity, friendship, environmentalism, corporate greed, and the desire to be unique. Jesse Bush, Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Hangar Theatre says, “The audience will connect with the point of view being presented and the stories will resonate with them.  It’s all the stuff that kids struggle with, think about and laugh at.”  Full of entertainment and imagination, these smart plays give us insight into the minds of young people.

The winning scripts of Kiddplay! include A Compromise by Sofia Tong, Hillbridge High by Emily Sharp-O’Connor, Thomas’s Play by Sophie Potter, The Little Fish That Could by Sophia Shi, and Pony Inc. by Chrissy Gerding.

An exciting synergistic collaboration between two distinct education programs and age groups, Kiddplay! explores topics that kids of all ages can relate to and find entertainment in.  These world-premiere plays will be performed one day only, on Saturday, August 2 at the Hangar Theatre.  Next Generation School is sponsored by P.W. Wood & Son, Therm, Merrill Lynch of Ithaca, and The Strebel Fund for Community Enrichment.

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