Pueblo County freshman Elliet Johnson wins statewide playwriting competition

For the second year in a row, a student at The Arts Academy at Pueblo County High School penned an award-winning play in the Denver Center for Performing Arts' Middle and High School Playwriting Competition.

"A Curious Couple," a one-act play written by Pueblo County High School freshman Elliet Johnson, was one of three winners chosen from 179 submissions from high-schoolers across 22 Colorado counties. Last year, Jocelyn McMullen, then a senior at Pueblo County High School, won the same competition for her play "Insectivore."

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"A Curious Couple" centers around Ruth Whistleton, an elderly woman who meets the devil for coffee. The meeting between the two is met with skepticism by a servant of the devil and Ruth's granddaughter Emilia — both of whom decide to spy on the meeting.

"(Ruth) is pretty lonely in the town that she lives in ... she decides she wants company, but there isn't really anybody that wants to have her as company, so she decides to summon the devil to have coffee," Johnson said.

Professional actors will perform "A Curious Couple" during the 2023 Colorado New Play Summit on Feb. 27 at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex, 1050 13th St., in Denver. Free performances of High School Playwriting Competition-winning plays will begin at 9 a.m. A read-through of the play also will be performed for Pueblo County High School students at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 28.

"I was not expecting to win this at all, but I did my best," Johnson said. "I was excited, but I had no idea that this opportunity would come, and I was blown away when I first heard."

Johnson has written several short stories and even started writing a few books, but "A Curious Couple" is the first play she has written. She also is a performer with Steel City Theatre Company and will star as Pugsley Addams in The Arts Academy at Pueblo County High School's performance of "The Addams Family" in March.

"You can just tell that (Johnson) is incredibly dedicated to a life and a career in the arts," said Taylor Gilman, director of The Arts Academy at Pueblo County High School. "She's an exceptionally gifted writer, but in addition to that, an exceptionally gifted performer ... she definitely has a very bright future."

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Not only is this year the second consecutive year a Pueblo County High School student won the High School Playwriting Competition, it also is the second consecutive year that the school produced additional top-10 finalists: Isabella Gernazio, Emma McDonald and Elliot Sikes were named finalists in this year's competition.

"I think it's easy to discount a high school drama class as something that maybe isn't super serious or important, but the way we have developed the program — it's very scholastic," Gilman said. "Playwriting is not an easy thing to do, and the kids do it very well."

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo student wins playwriting competition from Denver Center