Southampton - On March 26 at 7 p.m., eight short plays written and performed by middle school students from area schools will be presented at Stony Brook Southampton's Avram Theater, as the culminating event of the Young American Writers Project (YAWP) Middle School Playwriting Program. Participating middle schools include Bridgehampton, Tuckahoe, Eastport South Manor, the Shelter Island School and the Ross School.

The Young American Writers Project, created and sponsored by Stony Brook Southampton's MFA in Writing and Literature, is dedicated to mentoring middle and high school students in the development of creative expression and critical thinking through writing, and is an integral part of Stony Brook Southampton's commitment to its community and to the next generation of readers and writers. The YAWP programs send professional writers and teaching artists into classrooms to lead workshops in a wide array of writing disciplines, including Playwriting, Screenwriting, Poetry, Personal Essay and Fiction. YAWP Programs in Fiction and Poetry will premiere this spring at Southampton Intermediate School.

Close to 200 students participated in the YAWP Middle School Playwriting residency this winter. Over the course of two months, students explored the basic elements of dramatic writing: how to develop ideas, characters, themes, dialogue and scenes, culminating with each student writing a 10 minute, one act play. One play from each participating class was selected for production. Professional directors stage the plays, which encompass a wide array of genres - from comedies to dramas - with subject matters drawn from the students' own lives.

The Young American Writers Project is helmed by Emma Walton Hamilton as Executive Director and Will Chandler as Program Director. Hamilton is a bestselling children's book author, editor and arts educator, and also serves as the Co-Director of the Southampton Playwriting and Children's Literature Conferences. Chandler is an American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Nicholl Fellowship screenwriter.

"Dramatic writing and production skills give young people unparalleled lessons in communication and collaboration," Hamilton says. "They build confidence, and have a direct impact on young people's abilities to become engaged and compassionate citizens in later life."

"When we go into schools, we work closely with classroom teachers as we convey the basic elements of dramatic writing," Chandler adds. "Learning dramatic writing is a great way to improve overall writing skills, but what we're really teaching them is that each student has a 'voice,' and we want to hear it."

For curriculum development and program design, the YAWP programs draw on the substantial strengths of the Stony Brook Southampton MFA faculty, including novelist and MFA Director Robert Reeves; recent Whiting Award-winning poet Julie Sheehan; best-selling memoirist and editor-in-chief of The Southampton Review, Lou Ann Walker; and screenwriter and Emmy award-winning producer Annette Handley Chandler.

"The YAWP programs are a wonderful way for us to reach - and to help shape - the next generation of American writers," says Reeves, "as well as an ideal way to offer training and teaching experience to our very talented graduates and graduate students."

The YAWP Playwriting Festival takes place March 26 at 7 p.m. at the Avram Theatre, located in the Fine Arts Building on the campus of Stony Brook Southampton, 238 Old Montauk Highway, Southampton. Tickets for the performance are free. For reservations and more information, email william.chandler@stonybrook.edu.

A panel of experts at YAWP selected the work of three Ross students to be performed at Stony Brook Southampton. "Untitled" by Teague Costello; "Untitled" by Brenna Leaver; and "Like Dreamers Above" by Lara Fayyaz will be presented on Friday, March 25 at 11 a.m. and Saturday, March 26 at 7 p.m. in the Avram Theater.

Over seven weeks, the teaching artists in this innovative and interdisciplinary program instructed Ross eighth graders on the art of writing a short play, introducing them to the elements of dramatic writing through various exercises that helped them develop ideas, characters, themes and dialogue. They also learned aspects of producing a play, including set design, directing and wardrobe.

Ross School extends its deepest appreciation to the Brinkley Family, whose generous donation in honor of celebrated Writer-Producer Don Brinkley has enabled the eighth grade to participate in the 2010 Young Americans Writer Project at Stony Brook Southampton.

Brinkley has had an illustrious career in television, writing over 400 teleplays for such shows as "The Untouchables," "The Fugitive" and "Have Gun, Will Travel." In addition, he wrote and produced "Trapper John, M.D.," which accumulated numerous awards for its explorations into such controversial issues as gay rights, women's rights, euthanasia and nuclear disarmament. As one of the first series on prime time to deal with the AIDS epidemic, "Trapper John, M.D." was awarded a citation of excellence by the City of Los Angeles. In 1988, Brinkley was honored by the Museum of Broadcasting in New York with a retrospective of his career.

Deepest appreciation is extended to generous sponsor, Christie Brinkley, who has dedicated these performances to celebrated writer-producer Don Brinkley. The Brinkley Family's continuous support enables our students to participate in this acclaimed playwriting program.