Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) has announced Steven Strafford as the winner of the fourth annual Jackie Demaline Regional Collegiate Playwriting Competition. The aim of the competition is to nurture local aspiring dramatists who are helping to shape the future of American theatre. The winner receives a $2,500 juried cash award to support their early work and career, along with staged professional readings of their scripts.

Strafford’s play The Match Game will receive a full-length staged professional reading on July 31, 2022, at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.

The following playwrights received Honorable Mentions in this year’s competition:

Joyce Evelyn Deaton, Both Hands
David Schwartz, The Heat 
Baxter Whitehead, The End of the World

The competition commemorates the life and work of writer, critic, and theatre enthusiast Jackie Demaline. Her legacy lives on through the competition, which provides professional development for emerging writers, amplifies new voices and perspectives, and kick-starts careers in the arts.