MANSFIELD – The Renaissance Theatre’s Education Department will host its 14th annual MindSprouts Creative Writing Showcase on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 7 p.m. at Theatre 166, located at 166 Park Avenue West in downtown Mansfield.
This free public event will feature onstage adaptations of original student works, including short stories, plays, and poems selected from the MindSprouts Creative Writing Contest.
Donations will be accepted at the door to support Renaissance education programs.
What is Mindsprouts?
MindSprouts is a creative writing contest open to all K–12 students in Richland County and surrounding areas.
The program encourages young writers to unleash their imagination through short stories, plays, and poems, providing a platform to express creativity, develop writing skills, and experience the thrill of seeing their work come to life on stage.
All submissions were juried by Renaissance Resident Teaching Artist Dauphne Maloney and reviewed by a panel of local artists and educators for final adjudication. Selected pieces have been adapted for live performance and will be featured in the May 1 showcase.
For the first time since its inception, the MindSprouts program introduced two unique themes tailored to different age groups:
- Grades K–8: “A Voice to Be Heard” – Students explored stories from the perspective of someone or something with a unique story to tell.
- Grades 9–12: “Voices Unheard” – Older students were invited to amplify underrepresented or overlooked perspectives, encouraging empathy and insight.
2025 finalists
- Kindergarten–2nd Grade
- Naomi Bexley – Kitty’s Voice
- Keleb Fennell – The Evil Apple
- Laiken LeVeck – A Dream with Voice
- Penny Majesky – The Lost Friends
- Timothy Sprague – The Lost Voice
- Norah Sprowl – Lilly, The Girl
- Sam Watersson – Voice of Adventure
- Camden Williams – Cookie and the Cheese Factory
- Grades 3–5
- Abe Benjamin – Big Voices
- Farrah Coolidge – The Epic Voice
- Isabelle Eshleman & Cora Cook – Keeping Fairies Alive
- Jacob Gangi – Moonlight Mystery
- Margot Hobson – Snowball and Many Voices
- Winifred Knowlton – The Haunted Castle
- Abby Pouvell – Dreaming Voices
- Michael Stevens – My Voice
- Grades 6–8
- Emma Hunter – Voices
- Mandy Leach – Stilled, Heroic Voices
- Samantha Lucas – Awesome Voice
- Eva Smith – Unheard Voices
- Grades 9–12
- Morrigan Broadwater – Unheard Voices
- Berlyn Fleming – Can You Hear Me Now?
- Natalie Lehnhart – I Am Not Broken, I Am Autistic
- Anna McBride – GB
- Pat McDowell – Silence
Tickets
Tickets to the MindSprouts Creative Writing Showcase are free, but reservations are recommended due to limited seating. Reserve your tickets online at www.RenTickets.org, by calling the Renaissance Box Office at 419-522-2726, or visiting in person Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 to 5:00 PM.
Sponsors
MindSprouts is part of the Mechanics Bank Education Series and is generously supported by the Milton R. and Beulah M. Young Foundation and the Altrusa Club of Mansfield.
Support education programming
To learn more about supporting educational programming at the Renaissance Theatre, including MindSprouts, please contact Maddie Penwell, Director of Development, at maddie@mansfieldtickets.com.