In its 24-year history, the Young Playwrights Festival has worked with close to 100,000 Chicago teens. Their goal is to entice young people in Chicago’s most struggling schools to consider playwriting. Their annual competition also gives some students a shot at the stage.

This year, the festival got more than 800 applicants. But in the end they staged only three plays. You can see the winning productions this weekend at Pegasus Players. Richard Steele recently sat down with the duo behind the one-act play Roller Coaster. Eighteen-year-old Gigi Lee authored the play with help from her mentor, playwright Marisa Wegrzyn. You can catch Roller Coaster in its final weekend at Pegasus Players in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

On stage:
Roller Coaster
Pegasus Players
Through Jan. 31