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Seven Winning Plays About Ending Gun Violence Selected by Lauren Gunderson, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Robert Schenkkan, David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías for #ENOUGH

#ENOUGH Plays to End Gun Violence, in Partnership with Broadway on Demand, Playscripts and The Dramatists Guild of America, Announce Seven Winning Plays, their 2020 Digital Premiere, and a Nationwide Reading

The winning plays will be free to view on Broadway on Demand from Dec 14-20 in a ground-breaking collaboration with Alliance Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre, and South Coast Repertory.
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New York, NY, October 15, 2020 – #ENOUGH is proud to announce the selection of seven plays by teen playwrights chosen by nationally recognized dramatists Lauren Gunderson, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan, Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías, as the winners of #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, a national short play competition for middle and high school students. On December 14, 2020 -- the eight-year remembrance of the shootings at Sandy Hook -- the winning titles will receive their digital premiere on the streaming platform Broadway on Demand and be made available for free for organizations to stage readings locally.

#ENOUGH received 184 submissions from 23 states and three countries when it called on teens to write 10-minute plays that confront the issue of gun violence. The seven winners are Adelaide Fisher's Ms. Martin's Malaise, Eislinn Gracen's Guns in Dragonland, Azya Lyons' Togetha, Debkanya Mitra's Malcolm, Olivia Ridley's Ghost Gun, Sarah Schecter's Hullabaloo, and Elizabeth Shannon's Loaded Language. Each winner will receive a digital premiere on Broadway on Demand, have their play published and licensed through Playscripts in Spring 2021, and Guild membership and craft training through the Dramatists Guild's Young Dramatist Initiative.

"I was incredibly impressed by the skill, inventiveness, and passion of the young playwrights who contributed works for #ENOUGH," says panelist judge David Henry Hwang, whose work includes M. Butterfly and the 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist musical Soft Power. "The winning plays are entertaining, insightful, and thought-provoking. Collectively, they provide proof that the future -- of our theatre and our nation -- is in good hands."

From Dec. 14-20, the plays will receive a national audience with readings viewable for free on the streaming platform Broadway on Demand produced by Alliance Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre, and South Coast Repertory.

#ENOUGH is also making the plays available for free as part of its Nationwide Reading on December 14. Schools, theatres, and community organizations can stage a reading of the plays, either virtually or in-person where possible, and follow that reading with a post-show discussion on gun violence and committing to an action item on gun violence specific to their community.

"We can't talk about gun violence in America only in the aftermath of the most tragic incidents," says Michael Cotey, producer of #ENOUGH, "Through the Nationwide Reading and the Digital Premiere we're allowing every community to create the space and address the impact of gun violence now."

More details on the winning playwrights, including bios and headshots, and their plays can be found online here. Information on how to participate in the Nationwide Reading can be found online here.

About #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence: #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is a theatre activism campaign launched by Michael Cotey in 2019. #ENOUGH strives to spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country on the issue of gun violence through the creation of new works of theatre by teens. # ENOUGH's mission is to promote playwriting as a tool of 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. enoughplays.com

#ENOUGH Logo, Partner Logos + Playwright Headshots (Google Folder)

Playwright Bios + Play Descriptions (Google Doc)

About Broadway On Demand: Broadway On Demand is the premiere streaming service offering an extensive and wide-ranging library of video on demand content, exclusive livestream events, interactive platforms, and educational resources. It is designed as a virtual performing arts complex offering not only Broadway shows and movie musicals but also, individual artists, concert series, performance venues, and theatres around the world. broadwayondemand.com

About The Dramatists Guild: The Dramatists Guild of America is the national, professional membership trade association of theatre writers including playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists. The Guild was established for the purpose of aiding dramatists in protecting both the artistic and economic integrity of their work. dramatistsguild.com

About Playscripts: Playscripts, Inc. is an independent publisher of new plays and musicals, established in 1998 by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Playscripts plays and musicals represent a great diversity of voices, styles, and stories, and have been enjoyed in over 100 countries. Playscripts is also the creator of Findaplay.com, a free service for locating plays in the catalogs of all major play publishers. playscripts.com

Alliance Theatre
alliancetheatre.org

Arizona Theatre Company
arizonatheatre.org

Berkeley Repertory Theatre
berkeleyrep.org

Goodman Theatre
goodmantheatre.org

Orlando Repertory Theatre
orlandorep.com

South Coast Repertory
scr.org

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Michael Cotey​

Producer, #ENOUGH

mcotey@enoughplays.com

Michael Cotey