The 'Lit' Theatre Project

Essay Competition Centered on

Camping with Henry and Tom by Mark St. Germain

Kids' Dreams proudly underwrites a special performance of Camping with Henry and Tom by Mark St. Germain for students from multiple Title 1 Palm Beach County high schools.

The winners were:

Raziah Ruiz - winning essay
Palm Beach Lakes High School

Akeelah Murray
Palm Beach Lakes High School

Adelia Santana
Palm Beach Lakes High School

Danari Aldeus
Everglades Preparatory Academy

Lincks Cius
Palm Beach Lakes High School

An additional $200 was presented to each of the following teachers for their classrooms:

Rebecca Donovan-Bain: Palm Beach Lakes High School

Jeffery Colavecchio: Everglades Preparatory Academy

Project Details

Students must be in grades 9 – 12.
All district Title 1 high school students are eligible.
There is no cost to schools or students.
Coach transportation and theatre tickets are provided.
All essays are adjudicated blindly.
Students win cash prizes from $50 to $300
Teachers with winning students receive a $200 prize for their classroom.

2025 Timeline

January – Students read Camping with Henry and Tom by Mark St. Germain (provided).
February 17 – 21 – PBD visits participating classrooms to discuss and analyze the play with students. A prompt for an essay contest is announced.
March 14 – Essays due to Palm Beach Dramaworks by 5pm
April 22 – 10am performance and talkback of Camping with Henry and Tom at PBD. Essay contest winners announced from the stage.

Standards

By participating in the ‘Lit’ Theatre Project, the following standards are addressed:

ELA.9-12.C.1.3: Write literary analyses to support claims, using logical reasoning, credible evidence from sources, and elaboration, demonstrating an understanding of literary elements.
ELA.9-12.R.1.2: Analyze and compare universal themes and their development throughout a literary text. Benchmark Clarifications: Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include but are not limited to an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
ELA.9-12.C.3.1: Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.
TH.912.C.1.6: Respond to theatrical works by identifying and interpreting influences of historical, social, or cultural contexts.

Students will read the play as part of their high school curriculum, thereby satisfying specific various Florida credit requirements. After reading the play, students will write an essay on the themes based on an ethics question.

Palm Beach Dramaworks staff and independent, respected educators will read the essays and score them based on a rubric.

The “Lit” Theatre Project launched in 2023. The inaugural competition was centered on Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, and the winners were presented with their awards by Kids’ Dreams co-founder and president, Patricia Lebow.