FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     
January 10, 2010
Contact:  Stephen Cunetto, Executive Director
(662) 325-8542
scunetto@gmail.com
http://www.mta-online.org

Winners of 2010 MTA Playwriting Competition Announced

TUPELO, MISS. – Kevan Jenner Brown of Gulfport and Steven Mockler of Ocean Springs were named the 2010 Mississippi Theatre Association Playwriting Competition winners in the association’s annual adult and youth playwriting competitions, respectively. 

Launched in 2007, the competition seeks to promote, encourage and recognize playwriting by Mississippi authors.  Scripts are submitted from May until October and then reviewed by adjudicators from around the state.  This year, Gary Garrison, a playwright, an author, and the Executive Director for Creative Affairs of the Dramatists Guild of America, served as the final adjudicator and selected the winning scripts. 

Both scripts received a staged reading during the annual MTA Festival that took place in Tupelo, Jan. 14-17.  Garrison and the playwrights were on hand during the readings, and provided comments following the productions. Garrison applauded all of the playwrites that submitted scripts.  He noted the importance of encouraging emerging playwrites and the workshop setting. Garrison facilitated a discussion following each production that assisted both the playwrite, director, actors and audience members to enter into a dialogue about the script.

Brown, received a $500 award for winning the adult competition.   Her play, Thanks To Mama, is set between the 1960s and 2009, and is told from two different points of view and memories.  The play portrays the psychological damage inflicted upon a loyal, hard-working young man by his needy and manipulative mother.  

Mockler, winner of the youth competition, received a $250 award.  Mockler’s play, His and Hers, revolves around the two characters, Roland and Susan, who are the quintessential power couple with good careers, friends, and an apartment, but they aren’t happy.  Throughout the play their subconscious’s, named His and Hers, fight and say everything to each other that Roland and Susan should say to keep their marriage together.

Joe Frost (Jackson) was selected as the second place adult winner for his play The Playhouse and Judy H. Tucker (Jackson), was selected as the third place adult winner for her play The Visit. 

Frankee T. Harris (Biloxi) was selected as the second play youth winner for the play Duality and Stephanie Grammer (Biloxi) was won third play for her play Forgotten.

Scripts for the 2011 Playwriting Competition will be accepted beginning April 1, 2010.  To register for the festival or to get more information visit the MTA website at http://www.mta-online.org.  

The mission of MTA is to foster appreciation of and participation in children’s, college, community, high school, professional and university theatre in Mississippi by sponsoring festivals, workshops, and retreats; communicating with members and the public; acting as an advocate to government agencies, business, and the public; recognizing excellence in performance and production; and sanctioning representatives to regional festivals.  See http://www.mta-online.org/ for more information on the Mississippi Theatre Association.  MTA is sponsored in part by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission.

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