We’re thrilled to announce the three winners of our latest playwriting contest, themed around “Difficult Decisions.” Each of these bold, beautifully written plays confronts that theme head-on—exploring the moments when young people must weigh what’s right against what’s easy, what’s expected, or what’s safe.
From school hallways to sports fields to magical forests, these plays capture the intensity of impossible choices—and the courage it takes to make them. We’re honored to add them to our catalog and can’t wait to see how student performers bring them to life.
Answer Key
by Kyle Olson
In this sharp, ensemble-driven dark comedy, a student’s sense of justice collides with a system that was never designed to protect her. When Michelle realizes a major academic award has gone to the wrong person for all the wrong reasons, she makes a fateful choice: to expose the truth from the inside. What begins as a principled stand quickly escalates into a full-fledged caper. Answer Key tackles difficult decisions by asking: in a broken system, can making the wrong decision actually be the right thing to do?
Victory: A Tragedy
by Michael Landes
Fresh off the biggest win of his high school lacrosse career, Martin—now called “C”—becomes the reluctant face of a school that won’t stop cheering. But C doesn’t want the spotlight. He wants to keep his head down, keep moving, keep hitting. As pressure mounts from teammates, classmates, and even family, C is forced into a role he never asked for—and in the end, he makes a single, devastating decision that will define his legacy. A haunting adaptation of Coriolanus, Victory explores what happens when you’re asked to lead a life that doesn’t feel like your own.
The Wall and the Woods
by Daniel Repp
Fifteen-year-old Lily has always trained to protect the walled city of Nestuk. But after a chance encounter with rebels from the woods beyond, she begins to see cracks in everything she’s been taught. As she uncovers secrets hidden beyond the stone, Lily must decide where her loyalty truly lies—and whether protecting her city means defending it or tearing it down. With monsters, magic, and moral stakes that hit close to home, The Wall and the Woods shows how one person's stand can change not just a life, but an entire world.
Congratulations to our winning playwrights! These plays are now available in our catalog, and we’re so excited to see the conversations—and performances—they inspire in classrooms and theaters everywhere.