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40th Annual Young Playwright’s Festival 10:00am-2:00pm

I Love My City, I Love Myself

The Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) is our longest running learning program that encourages expression and creativity in students all across the state.This year we received so many wonderful play submissions from participants in our residencies, and many more from students across Maryland, and we’re beyond excited to present this year’s winners!

This year’s “I Love My City, I Love Myself” Young Playwrights Festival theme is all about encouraging the youth to think intentionally about what community means to them and how they exist within their own communities – real or imagined. 

Schedule 

10:00am – Festival Begins at Baltimore Center Stage 

12:30pm – Performance of Winning Plays in Pearlstone Theatre

2025 Winning Plays 

• BeMORE by Aamir Snead
  • • A young artist experiences self-doubt and is supported; encourage and inspired by his community and city.

• Flash Finds Herself  by Garrett King, Dylan Barron, and Kayden Onyewu 
  • • Flash is a young girl who lost her true self when acting on a tv show. She comes to Baltimore, and the other characters help her find her true self

• BMore Yourself  by Alice K. Reid 
  • • A young girl named Avery wants to become non-binary and finds comfort in their community.

• Baltimore: As It Was, So It Is by Quinn Guilfoyle

• • • A girl struggling with the issues inside her city has a realization that Baltimore is a beautiful place when she talks to her mom and other city residents.

• The Sleepover by A.V. Smith

• • • At a sleepover, five teenage girls find themselves entangled in conflict as hidden tensions about boys, drugs, and relationships resurface. One reflects on her actions and chooses to speak up, sparking understanding between them drawing them together.

• Monsters Anonymous by Nalani Simpson and Maddy Hahn

• • • The Yeti, Frankenstein, Dracula and The Boogeyman are rounded up in a church’s basement in order to talk about their non-human emotions with Jimmy, the group leader of Monsters Anonymous.

About the Playwrights

Aamir Snead (BeMORE)

Aamir Snead is a singer; writer and all around creative. Aamir entered the young playwright’s festival this year hopeful to fuse his love of musical theatre with his new found appreciation of his hometown and an awareness of the importance of Community. Aamir is a 6th grade student at Watershed Public Charter School where his artistry and self-expression have been supported and encouraged by his teachers and friends. Hoping to join the ranks of many great creatives before him, Aamir is greatly looking forward to sharing his voice and creativity with the world, starting right here at Baltimore’s Centerstage.

Garrett King (Flash Finds Herself)

My name is Garrett King. I am 10 years old. I am a student in Team 204 at the Baltimore Lab School. I am in 4th grade. It is my second time in the YPF contest and my first time as a finalist. l like to play video games, and I like to sing.  I am happy to see our play.

Kayden Onyewu (Flash Finds Herself)

My name is Kayden Onyewu. I am 12 years old. I go to Baltimore Lab School. I’m in 5th grade. It was my first time writing a play, and I liked making up characters. In my free time, I like to code. I also like to play Roblox. I can’t wait to see the play performed at Center Stage. 

Dylan Barron (Flash Finds Herself)

My name is Dylan Barron. I am 10 years old. I go to Baltimore Lab school. I am in the fourth grade.This is my first time doing the Young Playwrights Festival. My special interest is that I like Dungeons and Dragons. I am really excited to watch the play be performed.

Alice K. Reid (Bmore Yourself)

Alice Reid was born in Baltimore and is a 7th grader at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School. She lives in two houses with two cats and a dog (an Italian Greyhound and Chihuahua mix) and is the middle child of many siblings. Much of her free time is devoted to music – whether it’s playing the harp, piano, clarinet or singing. She also spends time playing softball and swimming. Alice has a deep appreciation for animals, she finds all of them to be their own amazing creatures, from furry little kittens to scaly snakes. Having grown up with a family full of stories and excitement, especially during big family dinners, she has always enjoyed writing music and writing stories. She thanks her English teacher, Mr. Regal, for encouraging her to write her first play and to Center Stage for producing it as part of the YPF. 

Quinn Guilfoyle (Baltimore: As It Was, So It Is)

Quinn Guilfoyle is a 10th grader at The Community School in Baltimore, MD. She enjoys her work as the school Photographer in addition to her countless other hobbies including creating original artwork. Quinn discovered a love for writing while engaged in her Creative Writing classes at school. Her mentors Mr. Don Risett and Mr. Tom Culotta encouraged Quinn’s exploration in the writing arts. She focuses on short stories and poetry, but has found writing for the stage to be an exciting new way to express her artistic voice. Quinn has a passion for social issues and wants to use art to express her ideas and stand up for her beliefs. She is interested in the environment and  science and looks forward to studying marine biology and issues surrounding the preservation of ecosystems. Quinn hopes to continue her journey writing for the stage and telling more of her stories in thoughtful and meaningful ways. Thank you to Center Stage for providing young visionaries the opportunity to share their passions.

Aveson (AV) Smith (The Sleepover)

AV is a senior at Dulaney High School and a member of the school’s literary arts magazine and creative writing class Sequel. She is heavily involved in art classes and extracurriculars at school, as well theater tech where she’s predominantly worked with costumes and props. This is her first experience with the genre of playwriting and she’s very excited to see her written creation come to life with the amazingly talented and dedicated cast and crew. AV would like to thank her wonderful creative writing advisor Mrs. Hopkins and the entire Baltimore Center Stage company. 

Nalani Simpson (Monsters Anonymous)

Nalani Simpson is a 12th grader at Dulaney High School and a member of Sequel, the school’s  literary art.  Nalani challenges themselves with multiple forms of art– video editing, script writing, and prose-making being among them.  They have lived up and down the east coast, but have been settled just outside Baltimore for five years. Nalani would like to thank Mrs. Hopkins, Sequel’s advisor and the company, Baltimore Center Stage, for this opportunity.

Maddy Hahn (Monsters Anonymous)

Maddy Hahn is a junior at Dulaney High School, where she contributes to Sequel, the school’s literary arts magazine, and explores her voice through creative writing. Outside the classroom, Maddy stays busy with a wide range of interests – from visual arts to playing softball – balancing creativity with teamwork. Monsters Anonymous is her first play, and the process of writing it has been a new and exciting creative challenge. She’s thrilled to see her words take shape on stage and is grateful to her teacher, Mrs. Hopkins, for encouraging her to take the leap into playwriting. She also thanks Baltimore Center Stage for giving young writers the space to be bold and imaginative.