Playwrights Project will produce its 30th annual festival of Plays by Young Writers at The Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center at The Old Globe on January 22 – February 1, 2015. The festival will feature winning scripts from its California Young Playwrights Contest for ages 18 and under.
Contest winners were selected from 581 plays submitted by students from across the state. Four scripts will receive full professional productions, and four scripts will receive staged readings in this highly regarded festival of new voices.
Alberto (Bert) Cordova
Crown Prince Crazy
By Alberto Cordova
Age 18, Escondido
Directed by George Yé
Crown Prince Crazy was written by 18-year-old Alberto (Bert) Cordova who graduated from Orange Glen High School in Escondido this past June. Bert wrote his play during the Playwrights Project program Border Lines\Fronteras de Lineas led by Erika Phillips and James Pillar. The play gives a theatrical glimpse into the internal and external influences impacting a 16-year-old boy who must decide whether to accompany his family back to Mexico or remain rooted and alone in his life in the USA.
How did you first get involved with writing?
I have always had a passion for expressing what I think. I would say that working with Playwrights Project is my biggest accomplishment as far as writing.
How did you come up with the idea for your script?
I used inspiration from my own life. There were things that I needed to resolve so I thought it would be best to create characters and situations where all of this was resolved in fiction. The play is about a teenage boy – it’s a coming of age story. He is battling voices inside his head, which seems kind of far-fetched until you understand that these voices are products of his outside world.
What themes are involved in your piece?
I think the biggest theme is family, and the other themes that I want to touch upon are authority and identity.
What is the message you hope the audience takes away with them?
To understand the world around you, you need to fully understand what’s going on inside your own head.
Do you plan to continue writing?
I plan to keep writing my poetry and spoken word. I’ve turned a lot of those into raps, so I plan to keep doing that. As for playwriting, if I can strengthen my playwriting then I could see myself focusing on that.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
When I grow up I want to be happy…and satisfied. The only way I can do that is by going my way. Unfortunately if that means rejecting a lot of preconceived plans, I’ll do it. I want to be satisfied.
For more information and reservations, please contact Playwrights Project at (858) 384-2970 or write@playwrightsproject.org. Visit http://www.playwrightsproject.org.
San Diego Playwrights 