Two Welsh Valley Middle School students take part in Philadelphia playwright series
The students at Welsh Valley Middle School, a part of the Lower Merion School District, may be walking the halls with the next William Shakespear. They, of course, have different names, but there are two seventh graders working their way into the playwright scene and they haven’t even reached high school!
Rut Pendygraft and Julia Grasso, both Welsh Valley students in the seventh grade, were recently selected to participate in the Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PYP) Play Development Series (PDS) at the Community College of Philadelphia’s Bonnell Building Black Box Theater. On Nov. 20, the two writers’ plays came alive on stage and were open to a public audience.
“The Play Development Series brings together student playwrights with collegiate and professional theater artists to present new student works on stage,” explained a release from the LMSD. “The 2025 series launched with a special one-day collaboration at the Community College of Philadelphia, featuring staged readings of Pendygraft’s and Grasso’s powerful plays exploring the meaning of family.”
- Ghosts of Our Present by Rut Pendygraft
This multi-layered play examines the choices we make and how they’re shaped by our past, our self-perception and the people around us. Through the parallel stories of two families forever altered by a single decision, the play explores identity, consequence and the haunting nature of truth.
According to the PDS website, Ghosts of Our Present “explores the drastically different yet still inexplicably identical lives” of the families.
“It tells the story of what happens when who we think we are is confronted by the brutal reality of who we have become, a feeling that, eventually, can be fatal, stated the PDS site.
- Somewhere Between Stars by Julia Grasso
Set against a backdrop of hospital visits, this play tells a tender and challenging story of love, loss and family. As one family navigates the chronic illness of their youngest child, Asher, they struggle to stay connected, make the right choices and brace for the inevitability just beyond reach.
PDS said that Somewhere Between Stars is about “what it means to be a family, under the strain of a chronic illness”
“Taking place over a series of hospital visits, the characters struggle to move through the strain of failing to connect and how to do what’s right, always with the knowledge of what’s coming just one step away,” said PDS about the young writer’s work.
Each year, PYP invites students across the region to submit plays and monologues to its annual Playwriting Festival. In 2025, from more than 630 submissions representing 30 schools, a Literary Committee of nearly 70 alumni, artists, educators, and staff carefully read and responded to every play submitted.
“Through multiple rounds of review, selected student works receive opportunities such as public productions, mentorships and play development workshops,” said the LMSD release. “Being chosen for the Play Development Series gives student playwrights the chance to collaborate with local professional directors and actors, participate in rehearsals, and see their work evolve from page to stage.”
Both plays were performed on Nov. 20 at 1 and 6 p.m. at the college, located along Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia.
“The Play Development Series brings together PYP students with collegiate and professional theater artists to present new student plays on stage,” explained the PDS site. “The 2025 series begins with a collaboration with the Community College of Philadelphia Theater Program.
Prior to the school’s performances, they also promoted the works, which were shown via tickets sold at a donation amount (suggested to be $15 per person).
“Don’t miss a one-day-only staged reading of two new student works, offering insightful examinations of the ever-evolving concept of ‘The American Dream,’” said the PDS promotion.
