Young Playwrights Festival Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...The Young Playwrights Festival, long a staple in the Pegasus season, returns for a 28th year with four new one-acts crafted by high school students and directed, designed and performed by professional artists. This year, perhaps in an unconscious nod to Pegasus' own transformation, all the pieces share a common thread. Transformation, and sometimes obfuscation, form the crux of the plotlines and moral concerns for these young writers."

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...The four plays now being showcased in Pegasus Theatre Chicago’s 28th annual Young Playwrights Festival may be the work of current or recent area high school students. But it would be a big mistake to underestimate them or to write them off as just the fledgling efforts of student amateurs. As it happens, in their sophisticated exploration of profound themes, their clever use of theatrical devices, and their richly professional realization on the intimate stage of Chicago Dramatists (Pegasus’ new “temporary” home) they easily can compete with the new work being created by far more experienced veterans of the form."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...They may be written by high school students, but this year each of the four one-acts on the bill at Pegasus Theatre's annual festival is a gem. Deja Jenkins's A Matter of Life (and Maybe Death) uses a witty encounter between an adolescent and the Grim Reaper to meditate on life and death and friendship. Taylor Vazquez's Dirty Spoons is a heartfelt exploration of gang life and its ruinous effects. Daisianee Minenger's witty Dare to Be Different uses a nicely paced parody of cooking shows to tell the story of a nobody who finds himself. And Steve Maloy's A Day at the Office finds a new comic twist on the Faust legend."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...Supporters of the Young Playwright Festival may rest assured their contributions are well-spent. Each of the four students has clearly benefitted from professional guidance in telling stories that remain distinct. They display interest in a variety of devices and exploring the unique possibilities of live theatre. The adults in the artistic team clearly enjoy working on this project, and felt comfortable sharing it with an audience. I know many companies care about nurturing growing talent. Pegasus sets a strong example for how to do that with very young writers."