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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ENOUGH! Announces Six Winning Plays by Teen Writers About Ending Gun Violence, to Premiere with Evening of Nationwide Performances

CHICAGO, IL - June 18, 2025 - ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence proudly announces six searing new plays confronting gun violence as the winning selections of its fourth national short play competition:

Holding Space by Abby Dougherty (17, Georgia) investigates the emotional toll of healing and resistance following a school shooting.
Oh Look, Another School Shooting! by Matias Finley (17, Wisconsin) questions the cyclical nature of gun violence in schools and the ideological finger-pointing that follows.
Nobody Cares About Death by Ian Hodges (16, Florida) gives Death the chance to weigh in on the increasing number of gunshot victims he has to meet each year.
The Perfect Victim by Payton Aurora Jones (19, California) examines the power of community care in the face of violence and systemic racism.
We Didn’t Have to Meet Here by Pace Rundlett (16, Mississippi) highlights the variety of human stories behind the statistics of gun violence in America.
Under Wraps by Olivia Stanley (19, Texas) dramatizes the dangerous escalation of intimate partner violence through movement and poetry.

Created in 2019 by Michael Cotey, ENOUGH! calls on teens to confront gun violence by creating new works of theatre that will spark critical conversations and inspire meaningful action in communities across the country. This year’s winning plays will debut on October 6, 2025, with a flagship performance at a to-be-announced venue, serving as the cornerstone of a nationwide evening of readings staged coast-to-coast.

ENOUGH! received 127 submissions from 28 states this past spring when it called on teens to write 10-minute plays on gun violence. This year’s winners were selected by Congresswoman Gabby Giffords; bestselling author Jason Reynolds; acclaimed playwrights James Ijames, Kate Hamill, and Karen Zacarías; and celebrated dramaturg Ken Cerniglia. Each winning playwright will receive a $500 stipend, see their play published and licensed through Concord Theatricals’ Playscripts imprint, and receive a Guild membership and craft training through The Dramatists Guild.

Author Jason Reynolds on the 2025 Plays:

“The submission pool for this year’s ENOUGH! contest was nothing short of brilliant, making the job of judge a fun but difficult one,” says Jason Reynolds, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down, 2024 MacArthur Fellow, and former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. “That being said, the dynamism and variety of style and perspective found in our selections represent what ENOUGH! is about, while also shining a light on the already bright future of our young people, as playwrights and otherwise. This has been a gift!”

As part of its Nationwide Reading on October 6, ENOUGH! invites schools, theaters, and community organizations of all sizes to stage local readings of the plays, which will be made available for free. Producers of these regional readings are encouraged to seek out meaningful local partnerships and pair the plays with a community engagement component that addresses the realities of gun violence specific to their area.

“This year’s plays don’t just explore gun violence, they interrogate the systems, silences, and identities that keep people trapped in its aftermath,” says Michael Cotey, creator of ENOUGH! and Joaquin Oliver Artistic Producer. “These stories demand we confront not just the violence itself, but everything that allows it to persist. These teen writers aren’t asking for sympathy. They’re asking us to see the cages we’ve built and to break them.”

ENOUGH!’s goal is to have a reading in every state. To learn more about the winning playwrights and how to bring ENOUGH! to your community on October 6, visit enoughplays.com/reading.

PRESS KIT:

Access the ENOUGH! press kit for photos, bios, full play synopses, etc. HERE.

CONFIRMED NATIONWIDE READING VENUES INCLUDE:

1st Stage (Tysons, VA)

All in Productions (Milwaukee, WI)

Alleyway Theatre (Buffalo, NY)

Alliance Theatre (Atlanta, GA)

American Lives Theatre (Indianapolis, IN)

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)

Atlantic City High School (Atlantic City, NJ)

b.unity (DuPage County, IL)

Barrington Stage Company (Pittsfield, MA)

Burning Coal Theatre Co. (Raleigh, NC)

California State University - Fullerton (Fullerton, CA)

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (College Park, MD)

Clinton High School (Clinton, MS)

Collywobbles Theatre Co. (Allegan, MI)

Des Moines Young Artist Theater (Des Moines, IA)

Elizabeth Youth Theater Ensemble (Elizabeth, NJ)

Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival (Flagstaff, AZ)

Franklin High School (Seattle, WA)

Hartford Public High School (Wethersfield, CT)

Hendersonville Theatre (Hendersonville, NC)

Hoosiers Concerned about Guns (Indianapolis, IN)

Indian River High School (Philadelphia, NY)

Jared’s Heart of Success (Atlanta, GA)

Kecoughtan High School (Hampton, VA)

Orlando Family Stage (Orlando, FL)

Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center (Indianapolis, IN)

Prince George’s County Government (Largo, MD)

Rancho Buena Vista HIgh School (Vista, CA)

Rockford University (Rockford, IL)

Rowland Hall (Salt Lake City, UT)

South Bend Civic Theatre (South Bend, IN)

Starstruck Academy (Stuart, FL)

The Alcazar Theatre (Carpinteria, CA)

The Black Rep (St. Louis, MO)

The Frederick Gunn School (Washington, CT)

The Well Theatre (Charleston, SC)
Theatre MSU (Mississippi State, MS)

Think Tank TYA (Tampa, FL)

Third Avenue PlayWorks (Sturgeon Bay, WI)

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy (Elizabeth, NJ)

Union College (Barbourville, KY)

Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI)

…and more are joining every week.

Want to bring the ENOUGH! Nationwide Reading to your community? Learn more at enoughplays.com/reading.

ABOUT ENOUGH! PLAYS TO END GUN VIOLENCE:

ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence promotes playwriting as a tool for self-expression and social change, harnessing this generation's spirit of activism and providing a platform for America's playwrights of tomorrow to discover and develop their voices today. Since 2019, ENOUGH! has received more than 700 short plays by teen writers tackling gun violence, partnered with more than 140 organizations, involved more than 3,000 artists, and reached more than 14,000 people. ENOUGH! has been covered by international press outlets PBS NewsHour, NPR, and BBC, and is the recipient of the Theater for Young Audiences Community Impact Award and the Goldin Foundation Exemplary Project Award.

ENOUGH!’s 2025 campaign is made possible with generous support from The Civis Foundation, Newtown Action Alliance Foundation, Change the Ref, The Dramatists Guild of America, and Concord Theatricals.

enoughplays.com

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Michael Cotey​ Artistic Producer, ENOUGH! mcotey@enoughplays.com

Michael Cotey
Artistic Producer, ENOUGH!
mcotey@enoughplays.com