Florida Studio Theatre Celebrates Young Playwrights in 2026 Festival

SARASOTA, Fla. (April 8, 2026) — Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has announced the winners of its 2026 Young Playwrights Festival (YPF), recognizing the creativity and courage of student playwrights from across Florida and around the world. Selected from over 5,000 playwrights during the 2025-2026 school year, the winning plays are now being brought to life onstage in FST’s production of The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster & Other Winning Plays.

Each year, the WRITE A PLAY program culminates with Young Playwrights Festival Day on FST’s five-theatre campus, taking place on May 16, 2026. Students, teachers, and families gather to watch live performances of the winning plays before young playwrights are honored during an awards ceremony where they receive medals of honor recognizing their storytelling achievements.

One of this year’s honorable mentions also highlights the program’s lasting impact across generations. Fourth grader Aurora Youngs was recognized for her play – and her teacher, who is also her mother, received an honorable mention in the same festival nearly three decades ago in 1998. Their shared connection to the program reflects the enduring influence of FST’s WRITE A PLAY initiative on young storytellers and the educators who inspire them.

“FST was a huge inspiration for me as a child. I was so excited when I was in third grade that I went straight home and wrote my honorable mention play in one night!” said Amanda Youngs, Aurora’s educator and mother. “The WRITE A PLAY program brings out a natural love of learning in students where they can express their creativity. It leaves lasting impacts on generations of future writers and educators.”

A beloved tradition for more than 35 years, the festival celebrates the bold imaginations of young writers whose scripts are transformed into fully staged productions performed by professional actors. This year’s production features 10 winning plays, including the return of The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster, a standout favorite from last season.

“We read every play twice,” says Caroline Saldivar, FST’s Director of Children’s Theatre. “We stop the theatre and have a Read-a-Thon. We all sit and just read plays with popcorn and drinks because you have to think like a child.”

The submitted plays span an impressive range of subjects and styles. “They can be about everything from dogs to golden bologna sandwiches to a girl who didn't want her hair pulled in the classroom,” Saldivar adds. “The characters are so creative. The stories that they tell are heartfelt and funny: everything you could possibly want from a playwright.”

Now in its 35th year, FST’s WRITE A PLAY program guides students through every step of the playwriting process through interactive workshops, live performances, and classroom visits. Since its launch in 1991, the program has reached more than one million students, with a strong focus on Title I and underserved schools. For many participants, it provides their very first experience with live theatre. Beyond celebrating creativity, the festival honors the bravery required to share original ideas.

“We ask them to write authentically and to be brave,” explains Kate Alexander, FST’s Associate Director At-Large who founded the award-winning program. “And then they’re given a medal of valor for their chosen play. The Greeks gave their artists medals of valor at their playwriting festivals equal to their soldiers, because they said it took as much courage to write a play as it did to go into battle.”

Experience the imagination of the next generation of storytellers with The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster & Other Winning Plays, playing through May 2, 2026, in FST’s Keating Theatre. Tickets start at just $12 and are available at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or by calling (941) 366-9000.

2025-2026 Winning Plays and Playwrights
Featured in the The Pirate Ship and the Sea Monster & Other Winning Plays

The Peel
By Gianna Napolitano
Grade 5 | Wilkinson Elementary, Ms. Ramirez

The Cool Patterns
By Johnathan Cruz
Grade 6 | Manatee School for the Arts, Ms. Quinones

Nugget Saves the Day
By Wyatt Christie, Charat Chantaraviboon, Davin Hicks, Isaac Roberts, Ross Taplinger
Grade 3 | Southside Elementary, Ms. Sullivan

Between Stops!
By Petronius Boles
Grade 3 | Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, Ms. Fancher

Saving the Day
By David Nuta
Grade 3 | Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, Ms. McQuaid

Roxy the Chicken
By Paige Jessop
Grade 5 | Braden River Elementary, Ms. Lander

The Cookie Case
By Taylor Phillippi and Mackenzie Shinn
Grade 5 | Tatum Ridge Elementary, Ms. Segelman

The Monster Who Got a Second Chance
By Kash Marquez
Grade 3 | Tatum Ridge Elementary, Ms. Braunstein

Ki-T's Big Secret
By Xzavier Valdez-Sharp
Grade 7 | Holy Name School, Ms. Buchhofer 

2025-2026 Winning Plays and Playwrights (Grades 7-12)
Receive a production in the Young Playwrights Festival

You Look Like Someone I Know
By Aaron Gordon
Grade 12 | Braden River High, Ms. Tabetha Walter

Happy
By Valerie Rettig
Grade 11 | Braden River High, Ms. Tabetha Walter

Full Circle
By Matthew Stahlmann, Caroline Souers, Ellie Souers
Grades 7 and 8 | Learning and Families, Ms. Stahlmann

The Written Truth
By Reid Mitchell
Grade 11 | Riverview High School, Mr. A

Outspoken
By Abigail McDonald
Grade 9 | Sarasota High School, Ms. Knispel

Money on the Mind
By Mitch Michel
Grade 12 | Manatee High School, Ms. Catell

Unsent Messages
By Mia Burnett and Jessica Dingwall
Grade 9 | St. Columbia's RC High School, Ms. Sinclair

The 3 Stages
By Gracie Christiansen
Grade 6 | Manatee School for the Arts, Ms. Quinones

Respawn Disabled
By Artem Teslyuk
Grade 9 | Riverview High School, Mr. A

Honorable Mentions (Grades K-6)
Awarded medals & certificates at the Young Playwrights Festival

Jack and the Scary Noise
By Olivia Camacho and Aubrey Dillon
Grade 4 | Parrish Charter Academy, Ms. Campbell

THE BURGER AND DR. JACKSON
By Layanna Smith, Dylan Jackson, Miquez Munoz
Grade 3 | Alta Vista Elementary, Ms. Hazlewood

Astro-Moon
By Michael Martinez
Grade 4 | Louise R. Johnson K-8, Ms. Lyons

Fish Out of Water!
By Paxton Farabee
Grade 6 | Manatee School For the Arts, Ms. Quinones

The Honest Fishermen
By Zachary Henshaw
Grade 4 | Atwater Elementary, Ms. Leworthy

The Great Birthday Cake
By Penny Mangum
Grade 3 | Southside Elementary, Ms. Ryckman

Pirate Court: The Case of the Missing Eye
By Wren Lawler
Grade 5 | Wilkinson Elementary, Ms. Morris

Floyd Forest
By Aurora Youngs
Grade 4 | Clarence Boswell Elementary, Ms. Youngs

Alligator's Scales
By Nam Nguyen
Grade 3 | Pine View School, Ms. Bass

The Nutcase!
By Sashti Suresh
Grade 5 | Pine View School, Mr. Vitkus

Animal Shelter Escape
By Phoebe Nguyen, Sophia Khovyev, Evelyn DuBois
Grade 4 | Tara Elementary, Ms. Lander

Never Lie
By Jakob Howarter
Grade 3 | McNeal Elementary, Ms. Freeman

Honorable Mentions (Grades 7-12)
Awarded medals & certificates at the Young Playwrights Festival

Library Lost
By Liv Bracco
Grade 10 | Riverview High School, Mr. A

A Warm Light at Night
By Reinely G
Grade 9 | Sarasota High School, Ms. Knispel

Deadwoman's Tale
By Zuleh Zayas Berrios
Grade 11 | Lake Gibson High School, Mr. Burdick

Picking a Star from the Sky
By Yune (Sophie) Park
Grade 11 | Choate Rosemary Hall, Ms. Doak

If You Forgive Me
By Ms. Mills's Advanced Drama Class 
Grades 6, 7, and 8 | Booker Middle School, Ms. Mills

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Sponsors

Florida Studio Theatre is grateful to its sponsors of the 2025-26 Children’s Theatre Season: The Shubert Foundation, Florida Arts & Culture, Bishop-Parker Foundation, The Exchange, Manatee Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Wells Fargo, Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, The Patterson Foundation, Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, and Publix Super Markets Charities.

Sponsored in part by the Bank of America Client Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, as well as by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for this program was provided in part by The School Board of Broward County, Florida – SEAS Program.

About Florida Studio Theatre

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is Sarasota’s contemporary theatre. Founded in 1973, FST has grown to a village of five theatres located in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Each theatre is small in size and large in impact – providing intimate and engaging settings for high-quality, professional performances.

Today, FST has established itself as a major force in American Theatre. FST is the largest subscription theatre in the state of Florida and among the largest in the country, serving more than 225,000 live attendees each year across its diverse programs: Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, Children’s Theatre, Improv, The FST School, and New Play Development.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to as many people as possible. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. Hip and historical, entertaining and challenging, we are where everyone is welcome to engage in the art of theatre.