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Writers Search Winners 2024

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Gerard Shaka
"Woodside"

Woodside Synopsis: While fifteen-year-old Woodside is enrolled in a mangrove restoration summer program on the coastal areas of his island, Nassau, in the Islands of the Bahamas, he grapples with his intensifying home situation as his father, Dennis, lashes out in violent bursts. Though his mother, Whitney, does her best to hold the family together, Dennis’ fixation with Woodside’s budding sexuality pushes him away, where he finds solace with a nurturing marine conservationist.

Gerard Shaka is a Bahamian-American filmmaker and actor from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Shaka’s work centers on characters with tumultuous pasts who strive for better futures, drawing inspiration from video games and music. He’s an avid fantasy reader and is currently working on an epic fantasy manuscript. After teaching middle school, Gerard received his MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University and taught film at multiple universities. He’s a 2022 Sloan Student Discovery Prize winner, a 2022 Outfest Screenwriting Lab Notable Writer, and 2024 GLAAD List Writer for his feature screenplay, “Woodside.” He's currently in post-production for "Tri-County," his proof-of-concept pilot. Follow his journey on Instagram.

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Emma Schillage
"Cockroaches"

Cockroaches is a Southern Gothic dark comedy about three sisters trapped in their childhood home grappling with their mother's most recent suicide attempt. Momma has been acting strange since coming home from the hospital, causing eldest daughter, Jenny, to come home from college, middle child, Charlie, to act out, and youngest child, Sissy, to follow in her mother's footsteps. Meanwhile, monsters are lurking, ready to consume every bit of innocence in their path. As their mother's humanity fades, the sisters must learn to care for themselves and each other before it is too late.

Emma Schillage (they/them) is a queer Southern Gothic playwright, actor, director, and theatre educator based in New York and New Orleans. Schillage earned their BA in Theatre Arts from Loyola University New Orleans ('19) and MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University ('23). Fascinated by the macabre from a young age, Emma's writing incorporates elements of horror, whimsy, and teenage angst. They often write about resilience, childhood, mental illness, and the horror/wonder of growing up in the Deep South. Their work has been produced by The 24-Hour Plays: Nationals, Red Bull Theater, Breaking and Entering Theatre Co., and Southern Rep Theatre. Their play, Cockroaches, was a semi-finalist in the Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition, long-listed for The Seattle Public Theater's Distillery New Work Festival, and was a Finalist in the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. You can find them on the New Play Exchange or on Instagram.

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Nathan Blankenship
"Augusta"

Augusta Synopsis: When Naia, a transgender black millennial, moves in next door to Frank, a boomer grieving the recent loss of his wife, on a rural property on the outskirts of Augusta, Georgia, they must find commonality and learn to coexist to prevent a ruthless family of developers from destroying what means the most to them – their home. Augusta explores grief, loneliness, and reconciling one’s past as the world continues moving forward, holding the promise of finding connection and community in unexpected places.

Nathan Blankenship (he/him) grew up on a farm in rural southeast Missouri, graduated from college at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and after a seven-year stint far from home in the south - in Los Angeles - he now calls Atlanta home and feeds off the city's vibrant, palpable creative energy. His short plays have been performed locally in Atlanta, and his screenplays have been semifinalists in several screenwriting competitions, including the 2021 and 2023 Del Shores Writers Foundation Writers Search. Nathan prides himself on telling diverse, nuanced Southern stories from a new South perspective, often focusing on marginalized, broken protagonists struggling to find their place in the world and searching for the glory in their story.  A passionate storyteller, Nathan lives and creates by the creed of OutKast - “The South got something to say…” Contact him on his website or Instagram.

SCREENPLAY AWARDS

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PLAY AWARDS

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SHORT FILM/WEB SERIES AWARDS

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