YOUNGSTOWN, OH (August 13, 2024): The Youngstown Playhouse is excited to announce an enriching addition to the 2024-2025 100th Anniversary Season; a series of playwriting and acting workshops leading up to a Playwriting Contest for the first Juneteenth Festival of New Works on June 19, 2025. This initiative, proposed and coordinated by Dr. Lundeana M. Thomas – Playhouse Board member and former Professor of Theatre at the University of Louisville – will take place at the Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane and at the McGuffey Center, 1649 Jacobs Road this Fall.

Dr. Thomas taught at the University of Louisville for eighteen years and was the Director of the African American Theater Program. Her vision and dedication has made the funding for this program possible with continued support for the workshops and performances beyond 2025.

This program is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) in addition to support by the Arts Midwest GIG fund, a program of Arts Midwest supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Workshop Details:

● Playwriting Workshops: September 9 to 21 (afterschool), led by Joyce Sylvester, a renowned actress, director,
and playwright, alongside Professor Cedric Rembert from Claflin University. These workshops will cover the
essentials of playwriting and provide a foundation for the Playwriting Contest.

● Audition Workshops: October 5, 12, and 19, taught by Robert Greene, an off-Broadway actor known for his
recurring role as Mandela. These sessions will focus on techniques for successful auditions in television, film,
and commercials.

● Acting Workshop: “Thriving as a Performer,” presented by Shirley Faison, a New York agent and mother of
Donald Faison (T-Mobile commercials and Scrubs). This workshop will guide actors on building careers and
utilizing the internet for auditions.

All workshops are offered FREE OF CHARGE. The playwriting workshops will culminate in a Playwriting Contest with monetary awards in February, with winning entries receiving staged readings at the Juneteenth Festival of New Works in 2025.

Space is limited and spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To sign up for the workshops, visit youngstownplayhouse.org under Education or call 330-788-8739. For more information, contact Dr. Thomas at 502-210-1252.