On May 2 at 7:00 p.m, The Coterie will feature nine short world-premiere readings by members of its Young Playwrights’ Roundtable. Tyler Johnson, junior at HBHA, will be one of the featured playwrights. The evening includes 50 minutes of fanfiction monologues inspired from sources such as Marvel, DC Comics, Harry Potter, and even Mary Poppins.
Johnson was introduced to the roundtable through a writing workshop for aspiring young writers. For the past several years, R. Gina Renee, English Department chair at HBHA, and Micah Margolies, HBHA English teacher, have invited the Coterie Theater to do a one-day writing workshop with eighth grade students.
“Back when Tyler was in eighth grade, he participated in this workshop, and from there he was invited to join the Coterie’s young writers roundtable. I have always known Tyler to be an exceptionally creative and gifted writer, and I am thrilled that he has been able to collaborate with other young writers over the past few years,” said Margolies.
“I’m grateful to have found this program through HBHA. I honestly don’t think I would have found this group if it weren’t for my school. The chance to perform creative work in a renowned theater such as the Coterie is a really great opportunity for learning and performance, and being exposed to new ideas and stories written by people like myself and my fellow writers,” said Johnson
“This year’s Roundtable members met via Zoom all year long and grew into a tight-knit group of 29 who enthusiastically helped each other with peer feedback. The selected pieces in this year’s festival are a ‘sampler’ of their originality and imagination,” said facilitator Jeff Church, Coterie producing artistic director, who has been facilitating Coterie Roundtables since the early ‘90s.
The theatrical writings emerged from a yearlong process undertaken by all roundtable members. This year’s festival, Young Playwrights’ Festival 2021: Fanfiction Vignettes, will incorporate nine scripts in one act, no intermission. The evening is recommended for grades four through adult, and masks will be required.
“Tyler’s dedication to his writing craft will now get to pay off in a huge way with the incredible honor of having his own dialogue performed by actors at the Coterie Theater’s Young Playwrights’ Festival,” said Margolies.
Throughout his high school career, Johnson has written for HBHA’s online student publication, RampageWired (RampageWired.com), and for the student literary magazine, Six13 (six13hbha.com). One of his RampageWired articles recently appeared in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. He hopes his writing skills will continue to help him break new ground in social advocacy, now, and in the future.
As for being a part of the roundtable, Johnson is appreciative of the unique opportunity it provides, “It helps me see the variety of people. Diversity, helping to see that everyone’s story is unique...and it’s just waiting to be written.”
Young Playwrights’ Festival 2021: Fanfiction Vignettes is a ticketless, socially distanced event. It is also an all-masked audience event, with the performers (all vaccinated) each performing a monologue with a face shield. Admission for the Young Playwrights’ Festival is $5.00 and advance reservations are required due to reduced seating capacity. Reservations can be made by phone at (816) 474-6552 or online at thecoterie.org. Contact the Box Office to attend virtually.
