This is my seventh
year as the Department of Theatre faculty advisor for the YPF Reading
Committee. Each year I read all of the submitted plays, and I enjoy this
process because it gives me a sense of what some very smart and creative young
people are thinking about. This year our committee read 115 plays, which is
around twice as many plays as we have received in the past several years. This
year’s pool of submissions included plays about technology, with several
meditations on how cell phones and social media present obstacles to meaningful
human interaction. We also read plays about dystopian futures, with characters
finding friendship or romantic connections in frightening circumstances. While
some writers looked toward the future, others found inspiration in the past.
Some drew on classic Hollywood cinema, while others explored medieval times.
There was an uptick in horror and suspense this year. But most plays explored
relationships of family and love, grief and joy, coming together and drifting
apart.
The collaborative
nature of theatre means it is a place where relationships are built. Today we
experienced a connection between actors and audience, but all this week and for
several months this year’s iteration of YPF has forged relationships among high
school students, teachers, college students, and theatre professionals. The
Department of Theatre is grateful to Bert Goldstein and Laurie Briseño, and to
the Wharton Center for inviting our students to make these connections. We are
delighted to welcome our young playwrights into this community of theatre
artists.
