Chicago - Pegasus Theatre Chicago is proud to announce the 39th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, January 1 - 24, 2026 at Chicago Dramatists, 798 N. Aberdeen. Previews are Thursday, Jan. 1 and Friday, Jan. 2 at 7pm and Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2:30 p.m. with the Opening Ceremony and press performance, Sunday, Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m. The regular performance schedule continues Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 - $30 and go on sale Friday, Nov. 28 at PegasusTheatreChicago.org. Educators may schedule school group matinees via YPF@PegasusTheatreChicago.org.
For nearly four decades, the Young Playwrights Festival, the oldest such festival in the United States, has engaged and inspired high school students across Chicago by teaching them to craft one-act plays. More than 300 submissions are received annually with the winning teen playwrights’ productions being work-shopped, staged by industry professionals and receive a premiere under the auspices of Pegasus Theatre Chicago’s Young Playwrights Festival.
The 39th Young Playwrights Festival includes:
Blizzard Bound
by Sophia Ponce (Whitney Young Magnet High School, Teacher Elizabeth Danesh), directed by ILesa Duncan
In a hurry to close up shop, a blizzard traps the owner of a convenience store with last minute customers.
Offices Etc.
by Clark Tavas (Lane Tech College Prep, Teacher Dane Haiken), directed by Anna Bahow
An office worker is desperate to find someone (anyone!) who knows how to operate Excel spreadsheets.
A Question
by Lola Zimmerman (Senn High School, Teacher Harper Case), directed by Ben Locke
A pair of strangers sit on a park bench and reflect on life as an asteroid hurtles towards earth.
Toil & Trouble
by Ashley Snyder (Lane Tech College Prep, Teacher Dane Haiken), directed by ILesa Duncan
When three sisters reunite to cast an ancient spell, long-held resentments are soon exposed. As tempers flare, the spell reveals something far more potent than anticipated…
Additional Festival information including cast and creatives will be announced in November.
ABOUT PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO
Pegasus Theatre Chicago has been a mainstay in the Chicago theater community for more than four decades. Its mission is to champion new, authentic voices and produce boldly imaginative theatre primarily by and about black or other people of color. Home of the Young Playwrights Festival, the company promotes cultural equity while celebrating intercultural communication. Pegasus is committed to initiating important conversations through the arts with strong community engagement and socially relevant programming. The Young Playwrights Festival for high school-age scribes celebrates its 39th year in 2026. Pegasus Theatre Chicago has received 77 Joseph Jefferson Awards since its inception.
The 39th Young Playwrights Festival is made possible with the generous support of Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation at Field Foundation (ART), and Polk Bros. Foundation. The Festival is also made possible in part by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and an Illinois Arts Council Agency grant.