Young Playwrights Festival
The Young Playwrights Festival is the longest youth playwriting program of its kind in the nation. Baltimore Center Stage has proudly encouraged expression and creativity in the minds of young people in the state of Maryland for 42 years and running.
Playwrights and Poets from grades K-12 are invited to respond to the year’s theme for the chance to have their original work produced professionally at Baltimore Center Stage, the state theater of Maryland. Six winning playwrights and four winning poets receive dramaturgical/performance mentorship to help them refine and edit their work preparing for their professional performance.
This year’s theme:
Educate Me!
An Unlikely Teacher: How We Learn and Teach the Community Around Us
Sometimes, the best teachers are the students. In a society that tells us who to be and how to be it, we are challenged to be both at every turn. What happens when we allow the unique lessons and moments of our lives to encourage us to be and see the change we need?
A Few Guiding Questions:
- What does it mean to learn?
- What do you think is “good” vs “bad” teaching?
- We all get instances of prescribed learning from our formal schooling – what does UNprescribed learning look like through your eyes?
- What kinds of people/places/moments/concepts can someone learn a lesson from?
- How can different environments impact how someone is able to teach or learn?
All submitted plays and poems must respond to this theme. Plays must be a maximum of 10 pages and poems, a max of 5 minutes.
Bring a YPF Residency to your School!
The BCS Education Department partners experienced BCS Teaching Artists with classroom teachers to guide students through the writing process right inside the classroom!
Through 8 sessions, each residency is designed to expose the students to creative expression through writing, theater, and performance. This enriching program reenforces the MCCR Standards set forth by MSDE, helping students across all grade levels implement textual and literary analysis, thematic analysis and development, story structure comprehension, and demonstrating understanding of central messages and lessons through their own writing.
The application to bring a YPF residency to your school for the 2026-27 school year is now LIVE.
YPF Visual Art Submission
The BCS Education Department is seeking local student art submissions for the 2026-27 season of programming! The winning artwork will be used for the official branding of the 42nd Annual BCS Young Playwrights Festival.
If you are interested, please submit an original piece for the program as described below:
YPF 2026-27 Theme:
Educate Me!
An Unlikely Teacher: How We Learn and Teach the Community Around Us
Sometimes, the best teachers are the students. In a society that tells us who to be and how to be it, we are challenged to be both at every turn. What happens when we allow the unique lessons and moments of our lives to encourage us to be and see the change we need?
This festival and competition are a celebration of youth artistry and the tradition of storytelling and we want to extend this prompt to young visual artists, too! We invite you to let your imagination soar in crafting original visual work that displays your response to our theme.
The top 3 finalists will be featured on all BCS social media accounts. The chosen feature artist(s) will win a $150 cash prize. They will also be featured on our website and have the opportunity to showcase their portfolio at Baltimore Center Stage.
MORE INFO:
YPF Residency Program
YPF Open Call Details + Resources
YPF Writer’s Group