Junior Canyon Gaulden recently advanced to Nationals for playwriting with her play called “River of the Wishes,” in which a boy tries to find out who he is as a person. Her play received 10s across the board at the Texas Thespian Festival in Dallas earlier this month.
To qualify for Nationals, judges look at plot, originality, dialogue, and character development in each competition piece. Gaulden prepared for the competition by having people re-read her play to make sure the plot was fluid. She also had several table reads of the play to make sure it met the 18-minute time limit.
Gaulden said the inspiration for her plays comes from around her. She attributes her greatest inspiration to music and its lyricism, as well as her friends and her father.
“I would listen to music, but if it got to a point where I didn’t know what to put, I would take a break and do something else,” Gaulden said of the writing process. “I would either watch something or go bother my mom, but after a little bit I would get an idea and start writing again.”
When Gaulden received the news of her advancing to Nationals, she said she was elated, but shocked.
“I saw my name on the list, but I didn’t really believe it was right,” she said. “But Ms. Creech made sure it was for real, and then I got happy and excited.”
According to Gaulden, her biggest support system is her family.
“They are always supportive when I do new things,” she said. “So, they were proud that I decided to compete and even more so when I qualified.”
Gaulden said she intends to make playwriting her profession outside of high school.
“I want to go to college and major in technical theater, as well as minor in business so I can start up a playwriting company,” she said.
Gaulden will compete at Nationals in June of 2025 at Indiana University Bloomington.
