Waterford - The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center will hold its 18th annual Young Playwrights Festival through Sunday on its Waterford campus.

The festival provides local middle and high school students with professional-level support to develop their original one-act plays. This year’s five Featured Playwrights spend a weekend at the O'Neill with a dedicated creative team — director, dramaturg, and actors — helping them bring their plays to life.

The weekend culminates with a public staged reading of their plays at 5 p.m. Sunday in the Dina Merrill Theater. Seating will be on a first come, first serve basis, and attendees are asked to pay what they can to help support the festival.

The five Featured Playwrights at the 2023 Festival will be:

● Musharraf Atik – “A Classroom Heist”; Waterford High School (Waterford, CT)

● Elena Eiss – “Sidewalk Eggs“; Pittsburgh CAPA (Pittsburgh, PA)

● Nazariah Isaac – “All the Space Between”; New London Visual and Performing Arts Magnet High School (New London, CT)

● Aerin Rollins – “Crows”; Clark Lane Middle School (Waterford, CT)

● Hannah Weisz – “You Are Cordially Invited to Elika Strauss’ Birthday Celebration”; Golda Och Academy (West Orange, NJ)

Throughout the weekend, 16 selected Guest Playwrights also have the opportunity to observe the development process as well as the chance to hear their plays read aloud.