For additional information on DTC's Delaware Young Playwright's Festival, please contact:
Allyson Sands, Director of Learning and Community Outreach
DELAWARE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL 2025-2026
2025-2026 DYPF Theme:
Human decency doesn't require recognition – it simply requires action
"I don't need a medal for human decency."
— Adriana from GLORY RIDE*
*Book by Victoria Buchholz and Todd Buchholz, Lyrics by Victoria Buchholz
2026 DYPF Performance & Award Night:
Thursday, May 14 at 7:00 PM
Reception to follow
Attendance: Free (Suggested donation: $5)
Delaware Theatre Company is pleased to announce the 2025-2026 DYPF Finalists and Honorable Mentions.
2025–2026 Festival Winners
(Listed alphabetically by playwright)
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Lucy Elaine Baker, Voices Beneath the Fog – Sussex Central High School
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Kara Dassel, The Monster and the Cannibal – Charter School of Wilmington
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Josephine DeCaire, Two Worlds - Dos Mundos – Charter School of Wilmington
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Sean Eppehimer, SUNRISE: The French Revolution – Charter School of Wilmington
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Darby Ann Tisdel, Missing Pieces – MOT Charter School
Honorable Mentions
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Sophie Lavoie Boone, Schism – Charter School of Wilmington
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Kris Burns, The Scrap Yard – William Penn High School
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Hayley Eng, Taxicab – Charter School of Wilmington
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Lilly Ranken, No One is Safe – MOT Charter School
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Abby Westmore, Food for Thought – Cape Henlopen High School
Congratulations to these playwrights, and to all who participated in this year's DYPF! Thank you to the teachers and students for your participation in this year's DYPF- we were thrilled with the level of interest and the exciting content of the plays!
The Delaware Young Playwrights Festival is dedicated to amplifying youth voices through the art of playwriting. Through workshops, mentorship, and performance opportunities, the program empowers students to develop their creative expression, strengthen writing skills, and build confidence. It also supports educators by integrating storytelling into Arts and English Language curricula.
2026 DYPF Winners and Instructors
2025 DYPF Winners
Darby Ann Tisdel, Ahshira Wilson, Spencer Camlin, Joe-Christina Werts, Emily Howard
DYPF Honorable Mentions
Paul White, Adrien Kinderman, Aidan Reagan, Elias Olvera, Samuel Obilie Mante
The Delaware Young Playwrights Festival at Delaware Theatre Company helps students develop their voices through playwriting. Through workshops, mentorship, and performance opportunities, the program gives young writers real-world experience and support. DYPF strengthens writing skills, builds confidence, and encourages students to express their ideas clearly and purposefully. We support teachers and students in exploring storytelling and highlight the value of youth perspectives through the process of creating and sharing original work.
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I would absolutely suggest this program to other playwrights, as this experience has helped me to gain more insight into the process of writing, and what to keep in mind while developing characters and plots. This opportunity is a great chance to get to learn more about further analyzation of your stories. Getting to see it live in front of you, with the way that actors portray the characters, gives you, as the writer, a different take on who they can become through the actor's abilities.”
– Jordan, student playwright, Aquinas Academy
DYPF SPONSORED BY:
DYPF is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.