Theater fans have the opportunity to enjoy four engaging works by young playwrights currently in Chicago.
The 39th Annual Young Playwrights Festival continues through Jan. 24 at Chicago Dramatists. The festival has been presented annually by Pegasus Theatre Chicago.
This rendition of the festival offers a creative mix of works by talented high school students from Chicago.
On the roster of short works is "Blizzard Bound" by Sophia Ponce; "Offices Etc." by Clark Tavas; "A Question" by Lola Zimmerman; and "Toil & Trouble" by Ashley Snyder.
Pictured is a scene from "Offices Etc" presented as part of The 39th Annual Young Playwrights Festival. Provided photo
All four works easily draw in audiences with their varied subject matter and fine acting by a team of six young actors. Starring in the shows are Shelby Marie Edwards, Leah Huskey, Rich Lazatin, Diego Rivera-Rodriguez, Kianna Rose and Peter Stielstra.
Playwright Ponce is a student at Whitney Young Magnet High School while Tavas studies at Lane Tech College Prep. Zimmerman is a student at Senn High School and Snyder hails from Lane Tech College Prep.
The one-act plays presented in the festival were chosen from a list of more than 300 submissions.
In "Bizzard Bound," audiences meet a convenience store owner and her last minute customers during a day that a blizzard has them trapped together in the shop. "Offices Etc" offers a humorous look at a new worker who simply can't find anyone to help him create an Excel spreadsheet.
"Toil & Trouble" is featured in The 39th Annual Young Playwrights Festival in Chicago. Provided photo
"A Question" revolves around two strangers contemplating life as an asteroid approaches while "Toil & Trouble" features three sisters engaged in a special "spell."
The Young Playwrights Festival is the oldest festival of its kind in the U.S.
FYI: The 39th Annual Young Playwrights Festival continues through Jan. 24 at Chicago Dramatists, 798 N. Aberdeen, Chicago. Tickets are $15 to $30. Visit PegasusTheatreChicago.org.