Young Playwrights for Change 2020: Lauryn Bonds and 'Brave'

Encouraging Social Change through Youth Playwriting 

Young Playwrights for Change (YPC) is a national middle school playwriting competition, run by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE). The mission of Young Playwrights for Change is to produce meaningful conversations that will ripple across our nation to provoke change. The goal is to spark conversation and discussion throughout classrooms, schools, and communities. Through the Incubator for Creative Impact, Creative Generation has partnered with AATE to expand the reach of the competition, reimagine the learning opportunities for young playwrights who focus on issues of social change, and share the winning and top-tier plays to new audiences within and without the theatre education community. 

YPC 2020 Spotlight: Lauryn Bonds, Winner 

At the 2020 AATE National Conference, the two winners’ YPC plays were announced, and virtual performances were presented with actors bringing the texts to life. I had a chance to catch up with this year’s winner Lauryn Bonds about her experience creating her play, Brave. You can view the digital performance of Brave here. The theme for this year’s YPC Program was Take A Stand, encouraging young people to share their stories and perspectives on how they use their voices to change the status quo. Here’s my interview with Lauryn.

 

Jordan: Hi Lauryn! Congratulations on your play being selected for the 2020 AATE National Conference. Tell me about the process of writing BRAVE? Describe your inspiration and creative process.

Lauryn: My process for writing “Brave” wasn’t very difficult since I’ve been in a few plays before, so I have a lot of experience with reading scripts. However, I did spend a lot of time doing research on the protest, and watching videos about it. I was inspired to write my play after seeing a video of women in Iran protesting. My ELA teacher had assigned us to write a play with the theme take a stand, so I decided to base my play off of that.

Jordan: Why do you think it is important for young people to get involved?

Lauryn: I think it is important for young people to get involved so they can help shape our future and help the world be a better place. I believe that young people should get educated and know their rights. 

Jordan: In your opinion, how are theater and storytelling useful in creating change? 

Lauryn: I think theater and storytelling is a great way to inspire others to take a stand. People may see encouraging things in plays, storytelling, etc. and it motivates them to make a change.

Jordan: What was it like to see and hear your play with actors speaking and acting aloud? 

Lauryn: I was overjoyed while seeing my play be performed. I am so glad that I got the chance to spread the message that was intended when I first wrote my play. I am forever grateful to the actors and directors for bringing my play to life. 

Jordan: What are your future plans with theater, playwriting, and/or social justice? 

Lauryn: At the moment, I am not working on any plays. Although, I am hoping to get a role in some musical/plays in the near future. 

Jordan: Thank you, Lauryn. It is so exciting to see your work come to life through YPC. We look forward to keeping up with your work - in theater and beyond!