Student Playwright Reader's Theater
What is SPRighT
Next Gen is excited to host its second Student Playwright Reader’s Theater (SPRighT) competition! This year’s theme is “This is me” – a celebration of stories about who we are and how our differences are also our superpowers. This competition is open to all students in our service area (Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Otsego counties) in grades 6 – college.
Workshops
Now offering two optional Saturday afternoon workshops at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts to support students (and educators) through participation in the Student Playwright Reader's Theater (SPRighT) competition. Facilitators (theater and educator peeps) will be at the Center to inspire you and to support you. All are welcome at both workshops - come to one, come to both!
Workshop 1: Start Me Up!
Saturday, January 17, 2026, 1:00 - 2:30PM
Come explore SPRighT with other students and educators while learning more about how to prepare, execute, and submit a short, reader's theater-style play. Be prepared to get your creative juices flowing as we have fun with improv activities and engage in spontaneous reader's theater challenges. Expect laughter. Facilitators will lead conversations around this year's theme, This is Me - reframing challenges as superpowers. Time will be provided for support of all stages of the writing process - brainstorming, outlining, storyboarding, dialogue writing, or draft editing. You are welcome to join us, no matter where you are in the writing process, including not yet being IN the writing process! You are also welcome to join us if you are simply curious and want to learn more. No previous playwriting required. Come let us help you "start it up!"
Workshop 2: Shape Me Up!
Saturday, February 14, 2026, 1:00 - 2:30PM
Ready to write? Seeking feedback about your concept? Stepping through editing? Ready to submit? Join us at the Center again to 'workshop' your ideas and writing in small groups with other students and educators. Come with what you've got - complete or not - and experience your work onstage or in small-group performances by your peers; hearing it performed helps refine your editing. This workshop is focused on helping shape and refine your ideas and writing, so come let us help you "shape it up!"
What do I bring to the workshops?
- Bring a notebook/pen and/or a laptop/tablet.
- Take along whatever work you've already done in preparing to submit a play - and if you haven't started yet, that's okay, too. You can start at the workshop!
Rules, tips, and more
- Submissions will be judged in three categories: middle school, high school, and college.
- Cash prizes (up to $150) will be awarded to winning plays.
- Scripts may be monologues or include multiple characters.
- Do not write for set or staging; these will be performed in Reader’s Theater style.
- As a general rule, each student playwright may submit up to three scripts.
- Please refer to the Call for Submissions document for all submission guidelines (button). Only entries that meet all requirement criteria as outlined in the Call for Submissions will be considered. Next Gen will host a special event – either a Masterclass or Showcase with Little Traverse Civic Theater actors – on Saturday, May 9, at 2:00PM for all those who submit a play.
- Entries must be submitted by midnight, Monday, April 6, 2026.
- Please reach out to Rachel Sytsma-Reed at rachel@greatlakescfa.org with any questions.
NOTE: Use of AI is not acceptable in this writing competition; don't cheat yourself out of the opportunity to express yourself in your special way. AI is NOT you, regardless of how much information you feed it. WE WANT YOU AND YOU ALONE. You are WAY more awesome than AI!
Call For Submissions
Prize Information
Participants are eligible for cash prizes up to $150, and all who submit are invited to a Masterclass and/or Showcase with Little Traverse Civic Theater actors on Saturday, May 9 at 2:00PM.
