“I started writing in middle school. I really liked a lot of the creative writing assignments,” says Mary Learned (MJ), runner-up of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education Playwrights for Change National Competition. “So whenever I was bored, I would write a short story. And then I wrote for the playhouse [POTS] playwriting competition and I really enjoyed it. Then I went from there and I just kept on writing.”
MJ, a senior at First Assembly Christian School in Cordova, submitted her 10-minute play about a chance meeting between two women. Her script, titled Arm in Arm, is based on true life experiences. “My inspiration for this script was based on a real-life experience I had,” says MJ. “I was buying hair dye at Sally Beauty and a lady came up to me and started talking to me because she saw the scars on my arms. When we were leaving, she gave me her business card with her number on it and it is still in my glovebox today.”
The play is about a heartfelt conversation between a young girl and a woman about loss and perseverance, and how it impacted a change in the course of her life. “The writing process was not super difficult because I was inspired really easily,” says MJ. “I knew my goal which, was just to let people know that [mental health] is not always how it seems and that other people do understand even if it feels a little weird.
“I just like people to know that there is always something out there to inspire you. You just have to go out there and find it and find what you really love,” she continues. “My main hobby is theater. I have been doing theater since sixth grade and have loved every part of it.”
She wants to major in theater and wants to create awareness by talking about the impact theater has in her own life. Other than theater, MJ also enjoys other art forms like painting, drawing, and doodling.
MJ’s play, Arm in Arm, will receive recognition during AATE National Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, July 28-31, 2022.
For more information on Play Slam!, visit playhouseonthesquare.org/play-slam.
For more information on the Playwrights for Change competition, visit aate.com.