Student’s Play Accepted at New South Young Playwrights Festival
“High Standards,” a play by student Taufik Kareem Jamal Abdul-Jaleel, has been accepted into the 2025 New South Young Playwrights Festival at Horizon Theatre Company in Atlanta.
Taking place June 1-7, the annual festival is for high school and college students and includes playwriting workshops, seminars, and rehearsals with professional theatre actors, directors, and playwrights. No more than 25 playwrights are accepted each year, and participation is free.**
During the festival, “High Standards” will receive a public performance. Abdul-Jaleel says “High Standards” is “a coming-of-age story about a group of high school seniors negotiating expectations, identities, and student leadership. It strikes a mix between cutting humor and honest introspection, all against the backdrop of a school assembly. I wrote it to emphasize the voices of young students of different backgrounds with wit, sincerity, and compassion.”
He developed his play in a playwriting course taught by Professor of Theatre Lynne Conner, who encouraged him to submit “High Standards” to the festival. Abdul-Jaleel says he is grateful to Conner, whose “support and dedication to students’ development are truly remarkable.”
“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the entire Theatre Department for fostering a space where creativity can flourish, individuality is honored, and the art of storytelling is truly cherished,” he added. “Your support has truly inspired me to embrace my voice as a playwright with both confidence and a sense of purpose.”
The Department of Theatre will present “High Standards” in late September as part of Gather Again, a collection of six short original works by UNC Charlotte students. Another play by Abdul-Jaleel, “Drifting Purpose,” is also on the program.
Abdul-Jaleel is pursuing a B.A in Film & Media Productions with a minor in Theatre, and a B.A. in Management Information Systems with a minor in Operations and Supply Chain Management. He already has a production company, called Influencing Legacies, and plans to continue that work in his career.
“I aim to create content for films, television shows, and art that is both bold and wholesome, valuable, and friendly to everybody.”
**In early May, Horizon Theatre learned that a $30,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant that had been awarded in November 2024 for the festival had been cancelled. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the company has sought private funding and tapped into an operating reserve to cover the costs and move forward with the festival.