Welcome to the winner's circle. Premiere Stages has awarded their annual Bauer Boucher Awards to this year's recipients, Lucien Edme and Megan Hoche. Edme, part of Kean's Class of 2021 was the official student recipient for the award for his play, Councilman. On the other hand, Hoche has also received the Alumnus Award for her play titled, Forever Mom.
The Bauer Boucher Awards were first established back in 2014 by Premiere Stages supporters John Bauer and Nancy Boucher to recognize the achievement of current Kean student and a Kean alumni each year. These awards help benefit Kean University's writers from all backgrounds with the help of trained professionals. With enhanced visibility, dramaturgical feedback, a cash prize and the chance to have their play to be read aloud by an ensemble of professional actors, the Baur Boucher Awards are a life-changing opportunity for those who wish to participate.
Edme's play, Councilman was the winner of the student award and had his play presented to a live virtual audience on Tuesday, Jan. 19. His play was well received and earning of this year's award. Hoche's play, Forever Mom held its virtual reading on Tuesday, Jan. 26 and was the winner for the alumnus award.
John Wooten, Producing Artistic Director of Premiere Stages described how they are able to support Kean students in enhancing their creativity as well as providing the support they need for their futures in playwriting and theatre.
"We are pleased to support Kean Students and alumni as they build upon their training at Kean to become leaders in the theatre community. We cannot wait to see how these compelling plays continue to evolve," said Wooten.
Premiere Stages accepts submissions every fall from any writers or aspiring playwrights who are currently attending or have graduated from Kean University. The winners alongside their plays are announced in January after the submission window is closed in December and reviewed by a select panel of staff, playwrights, theatre professionals as well as educators.
One current Kean student receives a cash prize of $1000 while the alumnus receives a $2000 prize. Additional playwrights may be selected as finalists and could receive an additional $100 award. Having the chance to write a story to be showcased in front of professional theater performers and staff writers can be very exciting which can also be an enhancement for a student trying to develop their artistic portfolio.
Want to submit a play for next year's season of the Baur Boucher Awards? There are some guidelines to follow in order to be considered:
- Playwrights must be current students in good academic standing or graduates of Kean University
- Plays must be unpublished and have never received a professional production
- Scripts must be one-acts, full-length or solo shows
- Scripts that are incomplete must contain at least 25 pages and attach a scene breakdown for the entire play
- Previous script winners & script finalists are ineligible
- Playwrights must be available for the development of their script (see schedule)
- All plays must be submitted as a PDF via email to pfsubmit@kean.edu. Hard copies will not be accepted
All submissions must also include the following when submitting their plays to Premiere Stages:
- A brief synopsis of the play (no more than half a page)
- Character breakdown
- The playwright’s bio or resume
- Script (or as much of the script that is currently written & scene breakdown of full play)
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is great to know that students are being showcased for their work despite the circumstances. Please email Premiere Stages at premiere@kean.edu for any questions or concerns regarding the Bauer Boucher Awards and the upcoming season. Congratulations again to the winners and much success in their future endeavors.
