Pegasus Young Playwrights Finalists’ Works Soar

By Nick Nicholas with Wes Hessel

Pegasus Theatre, housed at Chicago Dramatists, brought to fruition their 38th annual Young Playwrights Festival, a year long process where this arts group, in partnerships with teachers in creative writing classes, inspire, cultivate, and nurture young voices in penning new theater plays. The top three works chosen by the Dramatists’ panel for the year were staged, directed, and performed by a team of very talented actors and artists of the theater.

The first thing notable is the two of the three one-acts, “Love & Gyros” by Lily Zhang, and “Family Fishing Trip” by Lydia Vodopic, have story lines dealing with family and intimate relationship struggles, examinations and resolutions making it clear what is on these young artists’ minds. The desire and inspiration to explore the human condition runs the same for 18 year olds as it does older adults.

The third one act, “Superheroes Anonymous” by Carolina Boss, is very creative in that it has an anonymous group setting like AA where a cast of characters explore and express with quick, spicy, and creative text the person character they are caught in, between reality and superheroes fiction – it is very smart.

These three productions, running 90 minutes with an intermission, had an awards presentation to this year’s finalists and others who received runner up honorable mentions. A delightful and inspired evening that takes everyone back to our younger days when everything seemed and felt possible – these future authors show it is. It has been recently announced that the NEA will be extending a $25,000 grant to Pegasus in support of future Young Playwrights Festivals. The plays will continue to run now until January 26th – Fridays at 7 pm, Saturdays at 2:30 pm and 7 pm; for tickets or more information, please visit www.PegasusTheatreChicago.org.

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