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A Chance for Young Playwrights at Fest

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Are you the next Mamet? A future Marsha Norman? A budding Neil Simon? If you’re an up-and-coming playwright, 19 years old or younger, the Blank Theatre Company is interested in your creative efforts.

The company is accepting submissions for its second annual Young Playwrights Festival through April 20, 1994. No pot of gold awaits, but winners will have their plays done by professional actors and directors in public staged readings in June.

In addition, professional playwrights, dramaturgs or script development people will mentor the winners and help them ready their work for performance.

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The plays can be of any length, on any subject and must be original (and legible, please). Playwrights must postmark their efforts by April 20 and include a cover sheet with name, date of birth, school (if any), home address and home phone number. Send copies only; scripts will not be returned.

Last year’s submissions explored a wide range of issues, from gays in the military and date rape to mid-life crisis and AIDS. The winning works were performed by such TV and film pros as Ed Asner, Kim Walker and Allison Smith.

Send scripts to the Blank Theatre Company, Young Playwrights Festival, 1301 Lucile Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90026.

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