'Writing The Wave' With Teen Voices

Bay Street Theater is on the hunt for young writing talent. Last week, the Sag Harbor theater announced the launch of “Writing The Wave: The 2022 New Works Creative Writing Competition.”

The creative writing contest is open to all teens age 13 and up across Suffolk County and will be held as part of “Title Wave: The 2022 New Works Festival,” scheduled to take place May 6 through May 8 at Bay Street. Submissions must be original work written by the applicant and can take the form of poetry, spoken word, rap, monologue, song or short scene. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, April 5. Prizes will be awarded to three finalists in the form of cash prizes, Bay Street subscriptions and festival passes to “Title Wave.” Those with additional questions can contact director of education and community outreach Allen O’Reilly via email at allen@baystreet.org.

“Writing The Wave: The 2022 New Works Creative Writing Competition” is an opportunity for area teens to explore their passions as authors, poets, artists, songwriters and playwrights, giving them a chance of having their words read by professionals of the screen and stage. Of the works submitted, three finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and will receive a certificate of achievement.

All three finalists will be given the opportunity to present their original material live at Bay Street Theater during “Title Wave: The 2022 New Works Festival,” read or performed by themselves or with the aid of a professional artist.

All submissions must be original work and written by the student alone. Submissions must include the original written text in a PDF or DOC file, or a video link (Vimeo or YouTube) of the original work being presented or performed. Applicants can either perform their work themselves or enlist the aid of a performer. Submissions must be no longer than five pages or five minutes in performance length. Finalists will be selected on originality, creativity and innovative use of language. Please note: due to COVID-19 restrictions, finalists participating in the festival weekend must be vaccinated.