BW playwrights are part of Young Playwrights Collective

Baldwin Wallace University alumni and a current student are participating in the Playwrights Local inaugural Young Playwrights Collective (YPC).

BFA in acting major Sam Sommer '21 became the youngest playwright produced in Western New York in 2017 after premiering his play "SuperZeroes" at his high school. Sommer held a public stage reading of his play "Lies & Love" as a part of the New York Theater Festival 2019 Winterfest. This January, at the YPC Winter Showcase 2019, Sommer's "Levels of Consciousness" was presented as a staged reading.

BW alumnus Shaun O'Neill '14, who studied creative writing and acting and directing, has worked on and off stage at local theaters such as Dobama Theatre and Great Lakes Theater. O'Neill has also helped bring classical theater to K-12 students in Northeast Ohio as a teaching artist through the Great Lakes Theater.

Eric (E.J.) Dahl '17, a theater artist based in Cleveland, studied acting and directing at BW. Dahl's work has been presented at Baldwin Wallace and Playwrights Local. Previous credits include "Angels in America," "Angels in America: Part 2" and "Romeo and Juliet." In January, Dahl's "Femoids" was presented at the YPC Winter Showcase.

Luke Brett, a Cleveland-based actor and playwright who also trained at BW, had his play "Sad Martha" produced at the 2nd Annual Cleveland Playwrights Festival. Brett has been working as a teaching artist for Great Lakes Theater as well as acting for area theaters such as Dobama Theatre and Cleveland Public Theatre. He is also an active participant in theater education and works with the English Speaking Union and Marilyn Bianchi Kids' Playwriting Festival. Brett's "Like, A Gajillion Consequences" was presented at the YPC Winter Showcase 2019.

The YPC serves emerging writers, age 30 and under, with the goal of preparing their works for production. Collective members are committed to meeting regularly to workshop new material and to helping everyone keep their writing on track.