(October 4, 2022) An array of plays written by Cheltenham High School students earned recognition in the 2022 Philadelphia Young Playwriting Festival. Kai Bosniak, Andrew Marcus, and Grace Gilbert won second place and Lydia Hessel-Robinson and Jaeden Keyes won third place for their submissions to the festival. 

“cat:burgled,” written by Bosniak and Marcus and performed at CHS this spring, won second place in the festival. In their play, as a much-anticipated election looms, a priceless cat statue (as well as some junky ruby) is stolen from the town museum, upheaving the balance of the town, figuratively and pragmatically. With stabbed backs galore, what secrets will be revealed, which hearts will be broken, and what moronic loser keeps putting banana on pizza? Watch a performance of the play here.

Gilbert’s “The Eukelade Post Office” also took second place in the festival. The play follows the employees of a struggling intergalactic post office dealing with lost and regained friendships, space travel, and the power of simply putting a letter in the mail.

“Dearest Diary” by Hessel-Robinson won third place in the festival. The play follows 7-year-old Sammy, who is determined to become a famous diarist, but with the help of her parents and a classmate, she reevaluates her motives for writing.

Keyes’ “Over Again” won third place in the festival. The story follows a man who is forced to live the same day over and over again as he struggles to gain control of his own story.

Congratulations to all the winners!