What's on Your Mind? That is the question that the playwriting club asks the community with each meeting. After months of brainstorming, editing, casting, and rehearsing, the annual playwriting festival answers the question of “what’s on the minds” of Concord Academy playwrights.
This year's festival featured five short, ten-minute plays, with genres ranging from workplace comedies to Shakespeare parodies. These student-written plays are performed as staged readings, with minimal movement, no costumes, and no sets, designed to showcase the words of the playwrights without any embellishment. Additionally, the format is more practical for the student-driven nature of the club. The festival is largely organized by the student leaders, Lira Schwab ’26, Olivia Kim ’26, and Sophia Primmer ’26, with the guidance of faculty advisor and theater teacher Shelley Bolman.
WOYM also serves as a community for students interested in theatrical creative writing. Jeffrey Yeh ’27, the author of “Hey, Ted,” a featured play in the festival, says that “I got to form a lot of great friendships and connections with people [...] during the experience.” Through WOYM, student playwrights get to direct student actors in an entirely student-driven rehearsal space. This unique experience is impactful, Yeh says, “I learned a lot about myself.” Furthermore, WOYM encourages students new to playwriting to explore the art form, Yeh being among many of the first-time writers for this season’s festival. Through pitching and receiving feedback from peers, students are offered support throughout the entire writing process — from idea to script to stage.
WOYM’s main purpose is to allow students' works to be realized on stage. Audrey Mason ’28, author of “Shakespeare on Crack,” comments that “It was really cool to see everyone's different visions come to life.” The festival, featured as part of CA’s annual Fall Art Show, created a platform for student works to be shared with the broader CA community. However, the club is enthusiastic to expand even further, with Mason saying,“ I’m really excited to see if we can do more.” With another festival planned in spring, aiming to stage the works beyond reading, the club is prepared to keep asking the community: “What's on Your Mind?”