AIM junior Skylar C. '19 had not written any monologues before last fall's Drama class with Maryanne Yoshida. The opportunity to work directly with playwrights in class, thanks to a grant from Philadelphia Young Playwrights, helped Skylar craft several monologues that she entered in this year's high school monologue competition hosted by Philly Young Playwrights.

One of her pieces, her personal favorite and the one she spent the most time working on, was recently selected as a 1st place winner is being performed on stage at the Drake Theater this week by a professional actor as part of the Mouthful Monologue Festival. Skylar's monologue, a comedy titled Twisted Ankle, was just one of 18 student pieces selected for the festival from more than 600 submissions.

Skylar had the opportunity to work with the actor and director to produce the piece being performed at the festival. The monologue features a girl explaining to her mother how she sprained her ankle the night before.

Skylar admits to being a little nervous to see how other actors and directors interpret her piece but commented, "I feel like the piece speaks for itself and I'm excited I get to work with them on a collaborative project."

The Mouthful Monologue Festival opened on April 13 and will close on April 21.