New Voices is just act one for young playwright
By Katherine Peters

Craig Beaton's original one-act play, "Voices," was recently awarded one of eight spots in the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community's New Voices for Theater program.

Chesterfield teen Craig Beaton never shared his peers' passion for sports in high school. He had other ambitions. While others were dribbling basketballs and tossing around footballs, he was sitting on the sidelines writing an award-winning script for a one-act play.

Recently, Beaton's dedication to writing and theater was rewarded. His original one-act play, "Voices," was awarded one of eight spots in the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community's New Voices for Theater program, which culminated July 14-15 in staged readings of all eight plays.

"Writing is kind of a hobby," says Beaton, a recent graduate of Manchester High School. "I got to the point where I said, 'Hey, let's figure something out.' I put pencil to paper, and it ran away with me."

His play beat out more than 150 submissions in the New Voices competition.

"It's a real rush [to see professional actors performing 'Voices']," Beaton said.

Although the 18-year-old has written multiple short stories and is working on a novel, writing the one-act presented a unique challenge. "It takes a lot to cram in exposition, beginning, middle and end into 45 minutes or an hour," he explained.

Besides the performances, the 17th annual New Voices competition included a three-week residency program at Virginia Commonwealth University where students attended workshops by the playwright-in-residence, Dana Yeaton of Middlebury College in Vermont, and revised their winning scripts.

This year's winning playwrights came from across Virginia, including students from Herndon, Hopewell and Blacksburg, all intent on polishing their skills. "We're all top-notch and push each other," said Beaton. "It's like school, only not as much pressure. It's a more intimate setting."

"Voices," inspired by events in Beaton's own life, tells the story of a writer in high school trying to balance his talents, his studies and the new girl in his life. Much of the story is told through three muses who used to interact with the young writer frequently, and now feel neglected.

Neither the girl nor the muses understand why they don't get more attention from the writer, who's trying to be faithful to both sides.

"It winds up being a message about balancing the needs of yourself and the people around you," Beaton says.

Even though his play was performed through New Voices, Beaton doesn't feel like he's finished with it. He plans to continue editing the script, and is considering turning "Voices" into a full-length play.

"I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open," he says. "I'll see if there's anywhere I can take it."

Still, Beaton is grateful for a break before he starts school at John Tyler Community College this fall. After the whirlwind of events and people at New Voices, he says, "It's good to be back. Nothing beats coming back home to your own bed."