For three decades now, the San Diego-based Playwrights Project has been championing top young dramatists by producing their work in an annual festival.
And in that time, no one has seen more success in the organization’s yearly, statewide competition (which determines the scripts to be staged) than Matthew Maceda, a senior at Westview High in Poway and now a five-time winner of the California Young Playwrights Contest.
So naturally, the rewards of writing have helped clarify Maceda’s career path.
Not in drama; in doctoring.
“For me, right now I have an interest in going into the medical field,” says Maceda, whose play “The Dumping Ground” is one of six that will be staged in the festival beginning Saturday at the Old Globe.
“But I’m keeping the possibility of being a screenwriter still alive,” he adds. “I’ve always been interested in storytelling — I love books, I love analyzing the scripts of movies and television shows and all that. So I think it’s something that’s very natural for me.”
In fact, it was writing that stoked Matthew’s fascination with medicine — specifically, the prolific writer-producer Shonda Rhimes’ scripts for the TV medical series “Grey’s Anatomy.”
And his experience with the collaborative process at Playwrights Project, he says, has only deepened that interest.
The plays by Maceda and this year’s other winning writers were selected from among 385 entries statewide, with prominent members of the theater community serving as judges.
Four of the works will receive full productions, while two (by the youngest winners) receive staged readings.
‘Plays by Young Writers’
When: Public performances: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 (opening night; four full productions, no readings); 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27 (Program B); 2 p.m. Jan. 28 (Program B); 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 (Program A); 2 p.m. Jan. 29 (Program A).
Where: Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park.
Tickets: $25 (discounts available); $60 for opening night, including reception.
Phone: (858) 384-2970
Online: playwrightsproject.org
Cecelia Kouma, executive director of Playwrights Project (and the fest’s executive producer), is always fascinated by the themes and concerns that pop up each year.
This time around, Kouma says, “There’s a little bit more of this existential angst going on,” noting that even one of the plays by the youngest writers — a piece that involves sentient school supplies — “has got so much more of an edge to it than you’d expect. You’re laughing at it, and then you go, ‘Wow, that was kind of depressing and really deep!’
“Each of the young writers seems to be looking at their world and trying to make sense of it — posing their questions, trying to find their way and who they are. But they’re also seeing sort of a darker edge as they look at the world.”
The plays that land in the festival (whose artistic chief is the veteran San Diego actor-director Ruff Yeager) are initially culled via blind judging, making Maceda’s win all that more remarkable.
“Every time, it just totally surprises me,” Kouma says. “You’d think we would know his voice by now.”
Another surprise: One of this year’s winners, Eliana Dunn, is the granddaughter of Deborah Salzer, who founded Playwrights Project in 1985 and remains involved with the program.
Kouma holds up Dunn’s ambitious play “Hackathon” as as example of one that might not have made it to production without deep collaboration and commitment from its writer.
““I think it’s wonderful for anyone to be willing not to give up on something, to stick to it,” says Kouma. “It’s that grit that we want our kids to learn.
“That’s a big (topic) in arts-education conferences, when we talk about what are the skills we really need to ingrain in the students. It is that stick-to-itiveness, that willingness not to settle.”
A big part of what makes all the diligence worthwhile, says Maceda, is witnessing one’s unique view of the world brought to life for an audience.
“I think that’s one of the most rewarding processes, when I get to see it actually performed by real people in three-dimensional space,” says Maceda, whose play was inspired by his own high-school “promposal”-related drama. (Writing it turned into “a healing experience” as well as a chance to laugh about what happened, he adds.)
“Every time I’m in rehearsal, I get to hear people say the lines that I wrote. And I’m like, ‘Whoa, I didn’t think of it that way!’
“I just love how I’ve been treated throughout the entire process. I’m a professional — they don’t treat me as a kid, they treat me as a writer, regardless of my age.
“And that’s something I’m really grateful for.”
The plays
The full rundown of works in this year’s Plays by Young Writers Festival, divided into the two programs they’ll be presented in. (Quoted descriptions provided by Playwrights Project.)
PROGRAM A (recommended for ages 11 and up)
Full productions:
“Supermarket of Lost,” by Cassandra Hsiao, Walnut: “Two teen-agers and a young girl meet by chance in a mysterious warehouse where you can recover what you’ve lost in exchange for something of equal value. As their friendship develops, they discover a compelling difference between what we lose and what we choose to give away.” Hsiao wrote the play while attending the Orange County School of the Arts. It was originally produced in The Blank Theatre Young Playwrights Festival. Director/dramaturg: George Yé.
“Hackathon,” by Eliana Dunn, Pacifica: “Set in Silicon Valley, this witty satire examines issues of gentrification and bias in the tech industry, as teen-agers from different walks of life compete to create an app that will change the world.” Dunn now attends City College of San Francisco. Director: George Yè. Dramaturg: Mabelle Reynoso.
Staged reading:
“Turtle on a Rock,” by Absinthe McDonald, San Diego: “An unfulfilled turtle sings of his longing to find his purpose in life.” The playwright took part in a residency led by teaching artist Wendy Waddell at the Creative, Performing and Media Arts Middle School in Clairemont. Director: Erika Beth Phillips. Dramaturg/writing mentor: Playwrights Project founder Deborah Salzer.
PROGRAM B (recommended for ages 16 and up)
Full productions:
“The Dumping Ground,” by Matthew Maceda, Rancho Peñasquitos: “‘The Dumping Ground’” depicts the story of Mark, a high school student whose ‘promposal’ is publicly rebuffed in front of his peers. As he struggles to make sense of his rejection, he learns valuable life lessons from supportive mentors.” Five-time festival participant Maceda attends Westview High. Director: Wendy Maples. Dramaturg: Mabelle Reynoso.
“Pros and Cons,” by Katie Taylor, Woodlake: “A clever farce about formerly incarcerated friends who reunite for a fresh start as they re-enter society. Despite their altruistic efforts, old habits die hard and wacky escapades ensue.” Taylor attends the College of the Sequoias. Director: Phil Johnson. Dramaturg: Ruff Yeager.
Staged reading:
“A Play on Words,” by Minh-Son Tran and Samantha Rafter, San Diego: “’A Play on Words’ introduces Patrick, a piece of math homework; Patricia, a pretty pencil; and Eileen, an introverted eraser, as they experience an existential crisis during spring break. Samantha and Minh-Son wrote their winning script in a playwriting program with Waddell at Black Mountain Middle School. Director: Erika Beth Phillips. Dramaturg: Deborah Salzer.
Twitter: @jimhebert
