Playwriting has always been a passion for senior theatre major Megan Ghorashy. Her talents were recognized at the Region V Festival where she was awarded first place for her one-act play, “Final Moments.”
The Region V Festival is an annual festival that invites theatre majors from six Midwestern states to compete, perform, and participate in workshops. This year’s festival was held in January and hosted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Megan and three other playwrights were selected to participate in the festival. After receiving first place at the Region V Festival, Megan’s play will now be considered at the American College Theatre Festival. Sixteen plays have been submitted and five will be selected to compete in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center in April.
“Final Moments” is about Zoe, a 17-year-old girl, and her family as they live through the end of the world. Megan has written plays since middle school and worked with professional playwright, Kris Diaz, in high school. Megan said her theatre classes at Nebraska Wesleyan have dramatically improved her playwriting skills.
“Our professors give us individual feedback on everything we write which is so helpful,” said the Houston, Texas native. “We also get to read our pieces out loud in class. Hearing ideas from my peers helps me improve my writing and gives me new ideas.”
Jay Chipman, Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts, is honored to help NWU theatre majors reach their goals.
“It is a very big honor because the playwriting aspect of the festival is one of the most competitive,” said Chipman. “It speaks to the high quality of writing of the student playwright. It also reflects positively on what we are doing in theatre at NWU.”
Ten Nebraska Wesleyan theatre students attended the festival. Senior Dan Kelly was selected as one of two honorable mentions at the festival for his play, “#hashtag.”