To Be

1st Prize winner of our 2026 Young Playwrights Competition, Emily Ommerborn introduces an audio reading of their award winning play, To Be. Followed by an interview with 3rd place winner of our 2025 Young Playwrights Competition, Lucas Luchsinger.

Our Audio Engineer was Kevin Carver, the audio description was by Gary Glor, and Our Theme music was by Gail Lou and Demien De Sandies

References:

Hamlet — William Shakespeare

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet

Our Town — Thornton Wilder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Town

Little Women — Louisa May Alcott; film adaptations discussed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Women

Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen; adaptations discussed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice

The Effect of Gamma Rays on-Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds — Paul Zindel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Effect_of_Gamma_Rays_on_Man-in-the-Moon_Marigolds

The Wolves — Sarah DeLappe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolves_(play)

Are the Bennett Girls Okay? — Emily Breeze

https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2627/are-the-bennet-girls-ok/

Wonder — film directed by Stephen Chbosky

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_(film)

Barbie — directed by Greta Gerwig

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_(film)

Lady Bird — directed by Greta Gerwig

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Bird_(film)

The Virgin Suicides — directed by Sofia Coppola

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virgin_Suicides_(film)

David Mamet — playwright, screenwriter, and director

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mamet

Alexis Kozak — Emily’s playwriting teacher and mentor

https://www.alexiskozak.com/

David Meenan — Emily’s theater coach and a playwright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-j-v-meenan-840850121

Christopher Corey — Emily’s theater and film mentor

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-corey-55175178

Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy

https://www.epsnj.org/jefferson

Middletown High School South

https://south.middletownk12.org/