Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival Announces Historic 10th Anniversary Season; Play Submissions Now Open

David Youse, Executive Director

David Lambert, Actor/Writer

PSYPF Logo

Landmark season will include expanded opportunities for young playwrights, the new Legacy Reading Series and a site-specific production of RED SPEEDO.

PALM SPRINGS, CA, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival Announces Historic 10th Anniversary Season; Play Submissions Now Open

Landmark season will include expanded opportunities for young playwrights, the new Legacy Reading Series, a site-specific production of RED SPEEDO, and continued partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education

The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF) proudly announces its historic 10th Anniversary Season, marking a decade of encouraging, developing, and celebrating the voices of young playwrights throughout Riverside County.

As PSYPF begins this milestone year, the Festival also announces that play submissions are now open for its 10th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival. Elementary, middle, and high school students attending schools throughout Riverside County are invited to submit original plays for consideration. The submission deadline is March 29, 2027.

Selected playwrights will have the opportunity to develop their work with professional mentors before seeing their plays brought to life in public staged readings featuring professional actors and directors. In addition, each winning playwright will receive a $500 scholarship to help further their education and continued involvement in the arts.

“For ten years, we have watched young people discover that their ideas, their stories and their voices deserve to be heard,” said David Youse, Executive Director and Founder of the Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival. “What began as an idea to give young writers an opportunity has grown into something far greater than I could have imagined. Our 10th Anniversary is a celebration of every student who has trusted us with their work, every artist who has helped bring those words to life, and every organization and individual who has believed in our mission.”

An Expanded 10th Anniversary Season:
In celebration of its 10th Anniversary, PSYPF is expanding its programming beyond the annual Young Playwrights Festival with special events and opportunities designed to bring generations of theater artists and audiences together.

Beginning in January 2027, PSYPF will launch its new Legacy Reading Series, a series of staged readings celebrating established plays and playwrights while bringing the community together in support of the next generation of theater artists. The series will continue throughout the first half of 2027, with additional titles, artists and ticket information to be announced.

The 10th Anniversary Season will also feature PSYPF’s annual site-specific theatrical production, presenting Lucas Hnath’s acclaimed play RED SPEEDO from April 1–4, 2027. Presented in a private home, the limited-run production will transform an unconventional residential setting into an intimate theatrical experience, placing audiences close to the action and continuing PSYPF’s commitment to presenting theater in unexpected spaces. RED SPEEDO will serve as a special fundraising event benefiting the Festival and its programs for young writers. Additional casting, location and ticket information will be announced.

David Lambert Joins 10th Anniversary Opportunities for Winning Playwrights:
As another special opportunity during the 10th Anniversary Season, actor and acting coach David Lambert, best known for his role as Brandon Foster on the Freeform series The Fosters and recently seen in the feature film Original Sound, will offer each winning playwright a complimentary one-on-one session.

The sessions will give the young writers another opportunity to learn directly from a working professional and explore storytelling, performance, character and the collaborative process of bringing words from the page to life.

The David Lambert sessions will join PSYPF’s established program of professional mentorship, $500 scholarships, and staged readings, further expanding the experiences offered to the Festival’s winning young playwrights during this milestone season.

Riverside County Office of Education:
Central to PSYPF’s growth and its ability to reach students throughout the region is its ongoing partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE).

Through this partnership, PSYPF has expanded its outreach beyond the Coachella Valley to elementary, middle and high school students throughout Riverside County, helping introduce more young people to theatrical writing and the opportunities available through the Festival.

“We are enormously grateful to the Riverside County Office of Education for believing in what we do and helping us reach young writers across the county,” Youse added. “As we enter our second decade, that partnership is more important than ever. Somewhere in a classroom in Riverside County is a student with a story they may not yet realize anyone wants to hear. We want them to know that we do.”

Support for PSYPF:
The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival’s programs are made possible through the generosity and commitment of organizations and individuals who share its belief in supporting young artists.

PSYPF is funded by Anderson Children’s Foundation, Western Wind Foundation, Cherry Lane Alternative, Jason Smith and Tom Valach, Tom Hartnett and Paul Reid, Steve Hamilton, Eddie Nestlebush and Scott Poland, and Kevin Stotts.

PSYPF is sponsored by the Riverside County Office of Education, Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs, with Peggy Trott, General Manager, and the Palm Springs Cultural Center, with Michael Green, Executive Director.

Their ongoing support has helped PSYPF expand from its beginnings in the Coachella Valley into a countywide program serving young writers throughout Riverside County.

Additional announcements celebrating PSYPF’s 10th Anniversary Season, including the complete Legacy Reading Series, participating artists, special events, Festival details and additional opportunities for young playwrights, will be announced throughout the season.

Students interested in submitting a play for the 10th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival must submit their work by March 29, 2027. Submission information and complete Festival details are available at www.psypf.org.

About the Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival
The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival promotes and encourages creative writing in the theatrical form for elementary, middle and high school students throughout Riverside County, California. Through professional mentorship, $500 scholarships, staged readings featuring professional actors and directors, and opportunities to engage with working artists, PSYPF gives young writers the opportunity to develop their voices and experience their work brought to life.

The 2026–2027 season marks the 10th Anniversary of the Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival.
More information is available at psypf.org.
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David Youse
Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival
+1 310-428-3368
info@psypf.org
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