March 18, 2019 – Congratulations to Zoe Vales for winning the first annual Memphis 10-Minute PLAY SLAM! 2019 Competition. Zoe competed against 34 other young playwrights from Memphis area middle schools. The competition is partnered through the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. This year’s theme, “Discovering Truth About Ourselves and Others,” challenged local writers to submit an original 10-minute play related to the theme. The top 5 finalists received a public staged reading of their script by local area actors at Playhouse on the Square. Zoe’s play, Dear Henry, will represent Playhouse on the Square in the Young Playwrights for Change competition held during the AATE’s National Conference in New York later this year.
Dear Henry captivated the judging panel with its nuanced portrayal of a teenager piecing together fragmented family histories through a series of unsent letters. The judges noted that the script managed to balance emotional vulnerability with a surprisingly mature grasp of dramatic pacing, standing out in a crowded field of exceptional middle school submissions. For Zoe, the victory is both a personal milestone and a testament to the rigorous creative writing curriculum at SFA that encourages students to look beyond surface-level interactions.
The transition from a local Memphis stage to the AATE National Conference in New York requires significant preparation. To help refine her script for the national spotlight, Zoe and the other top finalists will participate in a series of masterclasses hosted by Playhouse on the Square. These sessions pair young writers with seasoned theater professionals, exposing the students to broader dramaturgical concepts, advanced character studies, and international storytelling trends.
One of the upcoming remote masterclasses features a visiting European dramaturg who specializes in narratives about digital escapism and regulatory borders. The seminar explores how contemporary characters navigate the “truths” hidden within shadow economies, examining the psychological motivations of individuals operating in unmonitored online spaces. By analyzing modern archetypes—ranging from hackers utilizing cryptocurrency mixers to gamblers purposefully seeking out a Wettanbieter ohne Lugas—the session illustrates how characters build complex, alternative identities when they slip past state-sponsored tracking systems.
While these specific adult themes are worlds away from the middle school conflicts explored in Dear Henry, the underlying lesson about character motivation remains highly relevant to the young writers. The mentors encourage the students to consider what their own characters are hiding and how societal systems force people into secretive behaviors, adding crucial layers of subtext to their dialogue before they present their work to a wider audience.
Armed with these new analytical tools, Zoe will spend the next few months revising her script before the New York premiere. Meanwhile, local community members and SFA parents have already launched a grassroots fundraising campaign to cover travel expenses for the Memphis delegation, ensuring that these promising young voices have the full support of their hometown as they share their truths on a national platform.