The Young Playwrights Festival returned to Pelham Memorial High School, but this year rebranded with a new name—the Young Artists Festival—and a broader mission to showcase short films, as well the student written, produced, directed, and acted short plays the event has been presenting for years.

However, due to technical difficulties during the festival, the films couldn’t be screened. Despite that unexpected complication, the June 2 show was a success, with impressive works of playwriting brought to life by the student casts and crews.

“It was a fantastic experience writing and directing in YAF,” said sophomore Liam Ginsburg. “It was a superb event, and my most definite favorite aspect of the program was working alongside such a wonderful cast in my play. It was thrilling to see my peers enjoy their characters and enhance the play to heights I never expected.”

The festival is a prized PMHS tradition, as it provides an opportunity for students who are not members of the Sock ‘n’ Buskin drama club to participate in the art of theater production. The student directors run the short plays written by students.

Seniors Annie Zusin and Peter Viento spearheaded the night’s overall production.

“It was really really rewarding but challenging to direct YAF,” said Zusin. “Reading the amazing plays, seeing the amazing actors and the help we received running this event was very inspiring and truly made this a group event. It definitely made up for all the struggle. I am overly grateful to everyone who made this event possible, and I hope that the creativeness of the students gets to shine more and more through the next few years.”