DETROIT – Wayne State University's Departments of Theatre and English are collaborating to stage the Third Annual Louise Heck-Rabi Scholarship Award Competition in Dramatic Writing.
The competition is open to both graduate and undergraduate students majoring in or demonstrating strong interest in either English or Theatre. Cash prizes for the winning plays total up to $2000.00.
The competition has three main aspects: Original scripts were submitted by students in May 2002 for judging; staged readings and work with guest directors were held in the fall, and winners were selected; and the winning scripts will be performed in the WSU Studio Theatre with an opportunity for students to perform and direct the one-act plays.
The competition is supported through an endowment from the estate of Louise Heck-Rabi. Founder and active member of the Michigan Poets and Playwrights Society, Heck-Rabi completed a Ph.D. in English from Wayne State University in 1976. She also served as an Assistant Professor at the University for many years. Her own writings include "Women Filmmakers: A Critical Reception" and "Rock The World" a one-act comedy performed off-Broadway in 1973.
- Winners of this year's scholarship competition are:
- "There Were Roses" by Christopher Gilbert: A Catholic family in Derry, Northern Ireland must come to grips with the loss of their son. Sectarian violence impels a couple and their daughter to wrestle with the church, each other, and their perceptions of a country in conflict as they meet a Protestant boy who is also searching for answers. As the lines are redrawn, where will each one stand?
- "The Real Thing" by Josh Eikenberry: The Schneider's are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary, but its not all sweetness and light. Something is eating at the happiness of the occasion. What is the price of honesty, of fidelity? What keeps a marriage going for fifty years? Is it worth it?
- "At Ease" by Eddie Collins: Stuck in a hospital room together, two friends use humor as medicine as they walk the line between imagination and reality.
The Louise Heck-Rabi Scholarship Award Competition is facilitated through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Phoebe Mainster of the English Department and Dr. David Magidson of the Theatre Department. Both are distinguished faculty members who have each been honored this academic year. Dr. Mainster received the Distinguished Alumni Award and Dr. Magidson was recently named the recipient of the Alumni Faculty Service Award commending his exemplary community service activities.
