The Horizon Theater will host the festival of young playwrights from the New South

Atlanta’s Horizon Theater Company will host its 26th annual Southern Young Playwrights Festival June 2-8.

According to a press release, the Inman Park Theater Company selected 23 aspiring young playwrights to participate in the week-long festival. Selected students will participate in workshops and seminars with professional theater actors, directors and playwrights.

“The New South Young Playwrights Festival is a treasured tradition for Horizon Theater,” Lisa Adler, Horizon Theater co-artistic director and producer, said in the release. “We take great pleasure in training the next generation of playwrights and each year we are amazed by their talent. The future is in good hands with these brilliant young minds!

During the festival, students will be invited to write a new short play which will be performed in public reading on June 8 at 2 p.m. at the Horizon Theater. The show is free and open to the public.

This year’s festival headliners are Chisa Hutchinson and Crystal Skillman. According to the release, Hutchinson is a playwright and screenwriter who also teaches at the University of Delaware. Skillman is a playwright and professor at the New School and Pace University. The festival will also be led by four Associate Teaching Artists who are pursuing their MFA in playwriting: Peter Chansky, Katie Kirk, Cameron Noel and Julissa Mishay Norment.

This year’s festival participants are:

• Ashadé Altine of Wellesley College
• Jess Anoruigwe of the University of Texas at Arlington
• Bridget Blanchard of the University of Georgia
• Miriam Campbell of Bennington College
• Toni Colbert of the University of Texas at Arlington
• Spencer Daniels of Emerson College
• Tomi Fawehinmi of Central Gwinnett High School for the Arts
• Ian Gadapee of Palm Beach Atlantic University
• Mando Gonzalez of Point Park University
• Loey Jones-Perpich of Emerson College
• Myles Keys of Ball State University
• Anna Kraffmiller of Wellesley College
• Éloïse Langan of Dartmouth College
• Amari Lewis of Kennesaw State University
• Angel Lin of the University of Virginia
• Hamad Naroze of Hunter College
• Hannah Reynolds of Wake Forest University
• Jhonn Rusic of Columbia College Chicago
• Bella Smith of the University of Georgia
• Sam Lee Victor of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
• Lain Walls of Marymount Manhattan College
• Emma Winiarski of Emerson College
• Isaac Woon of Hunter College