BEST PLAY: THE THEATER MAN by Kea Kamiya of the State College of Florida Collegiate School, a sweet and sentimental play about a theater owner despondent about the closing of his establishment but visited by characters from the past who remind him of the wonderful things he and his theater did for them, won Best Play and a $1,000 scholarship thanks to the generosity of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
The play was directed by Robert Ennis Turoff and members of the cast were Don Walker, Grace Casanova, Olivia Yagy, Derek Dutcher, and Jenny Aldrich Walker.
RUNNER-UP: Pine View School’s Spencer Opal-Levine penned THE DRILL.
An emergency alarm at a school is the backdrop for a frank and sensitive discussion about the pressures felt by today’s high school students.
Directed by Mark Woodland, the play’s cast included Paul Mullen, Tami Vaughan, Tyler Gevas, Roxy Gevas, and Olivia Yagy. The playwright receives a $500 scholarship, also from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, for his effort.
Festival judges were Lacey Knispel, Kyle Ann Lacertosa, and Dr. Bill Jones.
The Executive Producers for this year’s festival were the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and Paragon Festivals.
