Peyton Blackmer is going to participate in the upcoming 14/48 High School Festival. 14/48:HS is “an instant theater festival produced, managed, and created entirely by high-school students,” according to the festival’s website. The night before the festival she will only have twelve hours (8pm to 8am) to write a short play that will be performed only hours after she has submitted it. And she’s ready for the challenge.
Before being accepted to write for 14/48:HS, Peyton had some prior experience with SAAS’s own version of the festival during Spring Days last year. When asked about the experience, she said, “It was really interesting because everything I had done up to that point was more along the lines of poetry instead of scripts.” Peyton was exciting to spend time thinking about characters and writing within the time constraints of the project.
Peyton has gone to multiple open mics and especially liked one called Youth Speaks Seattle. She was nervous about it until she walked through the door and was embraced by such a welcoming environment. She loves Youth Speaks because of the overwhelming support and all of the different perspectives she was able to hear.
Her favorite piece of writing is the poem that she wrote for the junior class poetry reading last year, which was a very cathartic experience for her.
Peyton finds inspiration for her writing in the little things she sees and hears around her. One idea she’s had on her mind lately is “How much does a color weigh?” She asked this question when having a conversation about race in her English class.
In the future, Peyton hopes to keep writing and going to open mics and to someday become a published author.
The 14/48 High School Festival opens at North Seattle Community College on October 8th, at 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. only.