High School Performance Lab
The 10-Minute Playwriting & Monologue Competition
An initiative of the Center for African Writing, Art, Development and Cultural Exchange (CAWADAC) · Open to Indiana High School Students · October 3, 2026
The Initiative
Introducing the High School Performance Lab
Among the boldest commitments of this inaugural festival is the launch of the High School Performance Lab — the most ambitious youth programming initiative CAWADAC has ever undertaken, and one of the most distinctive youth theatre programs in Indiana today.
The High School Performance Lab is, at its core, an act of belief: a belief that Indiana's high schools are already full of writers — young people whose voices deserve to be heard, whose stories deserve to be told, and whose dramatic instincts deserve to be trained, celebrated, and brought to life on a real stage, before a real audience, by real performers.
“This inaugural Lab is the beginning of what we intend to become a defining annual fixture in Indiana's arts education calendar.”
The Lab is structured as a competitive showcase — but competition is only one dimension of its purpose. It is equally a school of craft, a community of practice, and an encounter with a literary and theatrical tradition that stretches back centuries. Young participants will meet working playwrights, sit with literary scholars, and watch trained university actors bring their words to life under stage lights.
Participant Experience
What the Lab Offers Participants
A Platform for Original Work
Every student submits an original 10-minute play or 3-minute monologue for evaluation by a panel of distinguished theatre professionals and humanities scholars. The feedback is not a mark in a ledger — it is a genuine artistic conversation.
Direct Access to Working Professionals
Students receive hands-on instruction from award-winning playwright Andrew Black, a keynote scholarly address from Dr. Akin Adesokan of Indiana University Bloomington, and dramaturgy sessions with Dr. Ana Cándida Carneiro.
Hearing Your Words on Stage
Selected playwrights and monologue writers experience something rare: hearing trained IU Bloomington MFA Theatre students perform their words before a live audience in a professional theatrical environment.
A Bridge to Higher Education
Through direct participation of IU Bloomington's MFA Playwriting students and faculty, young participants encounter the possibilities of graduate study in playwriting, acting, and dramatic arts.
The Panel
Distinguished Humanities Panel & Masterclass Leaders
The inaugural Lab brings together Indiana's most distinguished theatre professionals and literary scholars.
Andrew Black
Award-Winning Playwright
Judging Panel Chair & Lead Masterclass Facilitator
One of Indiana's most celebrated working playwrights. Serves as Chair of the judging panel, leads the evaluation and selection of top plays and monologues, and delivers the centerpiece Playwriting Masterclass.
Masterclass: High School Playwriting — Dialogue, Pacing & 10-Minute Play Construction
Dr. Akin Adesokan
Indiana University Bloomington
Associate Professor of Comparative Literature · Keynote Scholar
A distinguished scholar of African literature, oral tradition, and cinema. Delivers the keynote scholarly address connecting the deep tradition of African oral storytelling to contemporary dramatic writing.
Keynote Address: African Oral Literature and Its Influence on Contemporary Playwriting
Dr. Ana Cándida Carneiro
Indiana University Bloomington
Head of Program, MFA in Playwriting · Dramaturgy & Script Analysis
Head of the MFA Playwriting Program in the Department of Theatre, Drama & Contemporary Dance at IU Bloomington. Leads the dramaturgy and dramatic criticism session.
Session: Dramaturgy, Script Analysis & Dramatic Criticism
Entering the Competition
Eligibility & Competition Categories
Open to all currently enrolled Indiana high school students in grades 9 through 12. Students may enter as individuals or writing pairs (max two co-authors). Each student or team may submit one entry per category. There is no entry fee.
Category A
The 10-Minute Play
Write an original short play of no more than 10 minutes in performance length (typically 8–12 pages). The play should have a clear dramatic structure — a beginning, a turning point, and a resolution — and must be written for live performance.
- Max length: 12 pages (standard dramatic format)
- Max cast: 5 characters
- All themes and stories are welcome
- Prize: Live staged reading at the Inaugural 2026 Festival (Top 3)
Category B
The Monologue
Write an original dramatic monologue of no more than 3 minutes in performance length (typically 1–2 pages). The monologue must be written for a single character and should convey a clear emotional journey, point of view, or dramatic revelation.
- Max length: 2 pages (standard dramatic format)
- Single character only
- All themes and voices are welcome
- Prize: Live performance at the Inaugural 2026 Festival (Top 3)
Script Formatting Requirements
- 12-point Courier or Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins
- Character names centered and in CAPS before each speech
- Stage directions in italics or parentheses
- Title page: Title, name(s), grade, school, city, email
- Name only on title page — submissions are evaluated blind
- Submit in PDF or Microsoft Word format only
Submission Process
How to Submit
Prepare Your Script
Write your original 10-minute play or 3-minute monologue following the formatting guidelines. Read your work aloud — if possible, with a friend reading other characters — to check that the dialogue feels natural, the timing works, and the story lands.
Format Your Title Page
Your title page must include: the title of your work, your full name (and co-author's name if applicable), your grade level, your school name, your city, and a contact email address. Do not include your name anywhere else in the body of the script.
Submit by the Deadline
Submit your script by email to [email protected] with the subject line: "Performance Lab Submission — [Your Name] — [Category A or B]". Attach your script as a PDF or Word document.
Await Notification
The judging panel, chaired by Andrew Black, will notify selected playwrights and monologue writers by September 15, 2026. Every entrant will receive written feedback from the panel, regardless of selection outcome.
Key Dates
Timeline
TBD
Submission portal opens
TBD
Submission deadline
Sept 15, 2026
Selected scripts announced
Late Sept 2026
IU MFA actors begin rehearsals
Oct 3, 2026
Inaugural Showcase & Live Readings
Evaluation
How Your Work Will Be Judged
All submissions are read blind — your name does not appear in the body of your script, only on the title page, which the panel does not see during evaluation.
Dramatic Structure
A clear, purposeful arc — a beginning, a complication or turning point, and a resolution or revelation. Does something change? Are there stakes?
Dialogue & Voice
Does the language feel alive and specific? Do characters speak in ways that feel true to who they are? Is the voice of the writer distinctive?
Originality & Imagination
Is this a story only this writer could tell? Does the work take creative risks, surprise us, or approach its subject in an unexpected way?
Theatrical Awareness
Is this written for performance — not just for the page? Does the writer show understanding of actors, physical space, and a live audience?
Adherence to Form
Does the play fit within 10 minutes / the monologue within 3 minutes? Is the formatting correct and title page complete?
All entrants will receive written panel feedback on their submission. The panel's decisions are final. Selected scripts will be transmitted to the IU Bloomington MFA Program for actor casting and ensemble preparation.
The Showcase
October 3, 2026 — The Inaugural Showcase
An afternoon of masterclasses, scholarly address, live performance, and conversation at Indianapolis Central Library.
Playwriting Masterclass
Hands-on instruction in dialogue, pacing & 10-minute play construction
Andrew Black
Keynote Scholarly Address
African Oral Literature and Its Influence on Contemporary Playwriting
Dr. Akin Adesokan
Dramaturgy & Script Analysis
How to read a script critically — subtext, structure & dramatic criticism
Dr. Ana Cándida Carneiro
Announcement Ceremony
Formal announcement & introduction of the selected playwrights and monologue writers
Andrew Black
IU Bloomington Spotlight
Introduction of the MFA Programme & the performing actors
Dr. Ana Cándida Carneiro
Inaugural Mainstage Readings
Live performances of the Top 3 plays & Top 3 monologues by IU MFA actors
IU Bloomington MFA Theatre Students
Playwright-Actor Talkback
Moderated panel discussion — student playwrights, actors & scholars
All Panelists
Public Q&A
Open audience questions to the full panel
All Panelists
Indiana's Next Great Playwrights Are in Our High Schools Right Now
This Lab — in its very first edition — exists to find them, celebrate them, and send them forward knowing that their voices matter and their stories belong on a stage.
History begins on October 3, 2026. We look forward to reading your work.
Paul Ugbede, Executive Producer & Director
Center for African Writing, Art, Development and Cultural Exchange (CAWADAC)
In partnership with Indianapolis Public Library and the Department of Theatre, Drama & Contemporary Dance, Indiana University Bloomington
“Celebrating African Stories. Building Tomorrow's Voices.” · cawadac.org