Nine Talented High Schoolers To Participate In Victory Gardens' Summer Playwriting Program - Sound Off: Your Words/Voices 2008

The Victory Gardens Theater Arts Education Department has selected nine talented Chicago-area high school students to participate in its free, summer youth playwriting intensive program, Sound Off: Your Words/Your Voice 2008.

Now in its 6th year, Sound Off is designed for high school students to receive mentoring from a professional playwright while learning the mechanics of writing a play and having it produced for the stage. The following nine students have been selected to work Victory Gardens' resident playwright Douglas Post from a pool of more than 50 candidates:

Alexandra Anderson, Chicago, Taft Academic Center

Christina Courtney, Arlington Heights, Elk Grove High School

Caroline Donnelly, Chicago, Lincoln Park High School

Breanna Lucas, Arlington Heights, Prospect High School

Robert Walker, Chicago, Fenger High School

Latasha Hoard, Chicago, Kenwood Academy

Gabriella Martinez, Chicago, Kenwood Academy

Melissa Renee Smith, Chicago, Kenwood Academy

Ayanna Wimberly, Chicago, Kenwood Academy

These young writers will meet twice a week from June 24 through July 31 at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater to work on developing their original plays. The program concludes with each nominee holding auditions for their play, which will be subsequently performed on the Biograph mainstage Sunday, August 3 at 3 pm, allowing the young playwrights to see their work performed Readers Theater-style by working actors in front of a live audience.