IHRAF Youth Fellow Maggie Munday Odom presents this theatre festival of 5 playwrights under 19 years old.

Free Tickets HERE

Five new plays by young playwrights debut at virtual human rights themed play reading festival, directed by Katrin Hilbe.

The International Human Rights Art Festival Founding Executive Director Tom Block and 2021 Youth Fellow Maggie Munday Odom are pleased to announce the plays selected for the Our Rising Voices Young Playwrights Festival. This event is organized by Youth Fellow Maggie Munday Odom as the key element of her year long fellowship with the International Human Rights Art Festival.

Our Rising Voices includes the following works by five emerging playwrights, all 19 years and under:

• Scared by Wyn Thomas: A babysitter realizes that a little girl knows a lot more about school shootings than expected.

• Red Ajumma by Paige Kim: A young Korean boy's reflection on the recent rise in Asian hate crimes and how social media amplifies his views and reactions towards it.

• Pre-Paradiso by Layla Joy Diaz-Ferreiro: Two nonbinary teens compare experiences with gender, expression, and love.

• Caeneus and Aphrodite by Ruby Gower: A young couple, James and Margot, discuss their feelings around James' recent top surgery.

• Heart of a Journey by Marlie Kass: Based on a true story, The Heart of a Journey tells of a young girl’s immigration to start a new life in America, and the great sacrifices she and her family had to make to get there.

Maggie Munday Odom explains, “The festival aims to use theatrical engagement as a tool to center youth narratives in conversations about diversity and equality, as young people’s voices are the future of creativity and positive change in our world.”