FST honors top student playwrights

All you need is a pen and paper (or more accurately a computer) to write a play — you can even do it before you’re old enough to drive.

For 27 years, Florida Studio Theatre has recognized thousands of young playwrights (K-12th grade) from various countries through its Write a Play program. Throughout this past season, FST received 5,700 submissions for the program, and 100 winners and honorable mentions hailing from the U.S., Scotland, Israel and Russia were picked to be recognized at the May 19 awards ceremony.

Gompertz Theatre was packed with friends, family and teachers of the young playwrights for the ceremony, which also included a special recognition for Publix Super Markets Charities, one of the program’s vital supporters.

After watching award-winning plays “Seven Up” and “The Boy Who Liked Pulling Hair,” guests listened to speeches by FST’s Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins, Associate Director At-Large Kate Alexander and a keynote address by Producing Artistic Director and CEO Richard Hopkins.

One winning playwright was Viviana Serrano, a fourth grader from Garden Elementary who has now won three years in a row. This year she was awarded for her “A ‘Beary’ Big Adventure,” last year for “A Recipe for Friendship” and in 2016 for “Princess Poetry Saves the Day.”

Another winning playwright was Joe Hagney, a first grader at Gulf Gate Elementary whose “How to Make a Milkshake” was inspired by his mom’s job at an ice cream shop.

He says it only took him an hour to write his masterpiece, which gets laughs with its ironic premise of teaching audiences the wrong way to make a milkshake.

The fedora-wearing writer’s advice for those interested in playwriting is simple.

“Be creative,” Hagney says.