WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- VSA arts presents the
 world premiere of "Izzy Icarus Fell Off the World" at the Kennedy Center at
 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27. Written by 15-year-old Aliza Goldstein of
 Jacksonville, Fla., this play was selected for the 23rd annual VSA arts
 Playwright Discovery Award, one of several VSA arts literary programs that
 encourage creative writing in middle and high school. A sampling of poetry
 from these programs will be performed preceding the play.
 
     Teenage Izzy is fascinated by birds. With beach season fading, he loves
 to stand on the sand, flap his arms, and watch the gulls take flight for
 winter. His curious movements have attracted the eye of budding
 photographer Dove, who waits poised with her camera, convinced he's going
 to fly. "That's why he's called Izzy Icarus," she says. "Like the character
 in Greek mythology." When her classmate insists that Izzy, who has autism,
 is dreaming the impossible, Dove is determined to prove her wrong.
 
     "VSA arts' literary programs encourage young people to write in a
 variety of art forms," said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. "This
 showcase brings students like Aliza Goldstein's work to life onstage."
 
     Now in its 23rd year, the Playwright Discovery Award program encourages
 middle and high school students of all abilities to write a one-act play
 about disability. The winner travels to Washington, D.C., to view a
 professional production of their play at the Kennedy Center. VSA arts also
 offers a number of other literary programs. The poetry that will be
 performed during the evening comes from the Writing Project, which
 challenges young writers, ages 11-18, who are living with a disability or
 connected to someone with a disability, to explore their world from
 different points of view through the art of writing.
 
     Playwright Goldstein is entering her junior year at the Stanton College
 Preparatory School in Jacksonville. A previous volunteer at the Mt. Herman
 Exceptional Student Center, a center for students with developmental
 disabilities, Goldstein chose to address autism in her play "because it's
 something so easily misunderstood." Two of her previous works were selected
 for performance at Stanton's annual night of student-written one-act plays.
 
     Tickets for the evening are $15. To purchase, please visit
 www.kennedy-center.org/tickets.
 
     VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by
 Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with
 disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts
 provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to
 support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the
 accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access
 to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people
 participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates
 and in more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of
 the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information,
 visit www.vsarts.org.
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE VSA arts