Each year, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival engages thousands of college and university students in a celebration of theatre on both the regional and national level through regional festivals that challenge students to submit their best design work, directing work, original plays, original musicals, acting scenes, and theatrical productions for evaluation by academics and professionals who are leaders in their fields.
At the conclusion of these regional festivals, a small number of young artists are chosen as representatives of the best in their field from their region. In April of each year, the Kennedy Center brings those young artists to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC for a week-long intensive of workshops, lectures, and classes. It's also during this week that named awards are given to the best of the best young artists in their respective fields. T
The Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards celebrates a variety of dramatic writing, everything from the best full-length play written by a college or university student to the best ten-minute play. The awards showcase the best student plays written around issues involved with the LGBTQ+ community (named The Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting) to the best-written comedies (The Mark Twain Prize in Comedy). Each playwright is awarded a cash prize plus a residency at a developmental center for writers.
This year, the The Provincetown Theater and the Fine Arts Work Center (FAWC) are proud to sponsor a residency for two young student playwrights, Josiah Turner for his play BECOMING!! and Beth Hyland for her play, FIRES, OHIO. Both writers will use their time here in Provincetown to write, speak with fellow artists, speak with arts leaders, and enjoy the many different expressions of art our community supports.