A One-Act Play Competition for Middle Schoolers

Present Company is having a One Act Competition, based on The Hero's Journey! There are cash prizes! And the winner also gets their play read by professional actors in a staged reading.

The Contest: in 10-30 pages, write a one-act play about the journey of a hero of your creation. (see below for details)

The Deadline: December 15, 2014. Winners will be announced on March 1, 2015h and there will be a staged reading of the winning play at the beginning of September. Please mail plays to: Present Company, 9307 Doliver Dr., Austin, TX. 78748

The Prizes:

  • 1st place: $75.00 + a gift certificate to Book People + a staged reading of your play in a professional theater.
  • 2nd place: $50.00 + a gift certificate to Book People.
  • 3rd place: $25.00 + a gift certificate to Book People.
  • 4th place: a gift certificate to Book People.

The Details: “The Hero’s Journey“–that sounds familiar…

Yes. Joseph Campbell was an American mythologist, writer, and teacher who wrote a book called The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Basically, Campbell believed that there are several key elements that exist in all great hero stories regardless of what culture, background, and belief system they originate from. Therefore, no matter how different, say, The Hunger Games, Star Wars, The Little Mermaid, The Hobbit, Avatar, and The Lion King are, there are still certain themes that exist in all of these tales. These themes/elements need to be present in your play:


1. ORDINARY WORLD

Your hero begins in a world considered familiar to him/her and those who live there.

2. CALL TO ADVENTURE

An event, some sort of news or major happening–such as a tornado, the death of someone important to the hero, or an attack on an ally nation–calls your hero to leave what is familiar to him/her.

3. ENTERING THE UNKNOWN

Your hero finds him/herself a stranger in a strange land.

4. ALLIES/HELPERS

Your hero has friends to help him/her along the way. This person or people should be introduced fairly early in the story–at the latest, when the hero has entered the unknown.

*Sometimes help comes from a “supernatural” source. This doesn’t have to mean a witch or wizard or a figure that is most commonly associated with the “supernatural.” The help certainly could be magical powers, but it could also be in the form of imparting wisdom. For example, if your hero was very close with her grandmother, who passed away, the voice of the grandmother might come to your hero during times of stress or need to offer help and guidance.

5. TESTS AND THE SUPREME ORDEAL

Your hero faces ultimate challenges and all his/her strengths are put to the test. In short, these challenges should be really really difficult!

6. REWARD AND THE JOURNEY HOME

Tangible or intangible, your hero experiences some kind of a reward for his/her trials. Also, just because your hero has survived the supreme ordeal does not mean the journey home is without obstacles.

7. ACCOMPLISHED IN TWO WORLDS

 

Your hero has grown as a result of his/her journey. Your hero’s world has been changed or preserved, and his/her life and often those of others have been altered. Your hero now knows not only what was familiar to him/her before the journey, but also what he or she learned through the journey. The demonstration of these changes is what provides a resolution,or ending,to your tale.