HSU Students Earn Honors at Texas Playfest Competition

Sam Strawn – San Antonio, Texas

When Sam Strawn checked her email while getting ready for work at the Van Ellis Theatre, she never expected to find news that would send her “practically running” to share with her department head. The Hardin-Simmons University musical theatre major and honors minor from San Antonio, Texas, had just learned her play, Galatea, was selected for the Texas Educational Theatre Association’s Playfest Competition, earning the opportunity to present their original plays at the annual Theatrefest Conference in Arlington this October.

“Honestly, it was a complete shock to me,” Strawn said. “I had mistakenly been under the impression that the date they would send out the email to the winning participants was the day before, so when that day came and went, I resigned myself to the fact that I hadn’t won.”

Strawn wasn’t alone in her surprise. Two additional students from HSU’s Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberal Arts earned recognition in the annual statewide playwriting competition, representing a significant achievement for the university’s growing arts programs.

Joining Strawn in the Traditional Category was Callie Patton, a double major in English and psychology from Fremont, Calif., whose play First

Callie Patton – Fremont, Calif.

Night at Redford explores a freshman’s navigation of boarding school life. Philip Hough, an English major with minors in honors and Christian studies from Garland, Texas, earned recognition in the 10-Minute Play Category for Script of Theseus, which he describes as “a strange, surreal little reflection on the writing process.”

The success stems from Charles L. Hughes’ playwriting course in the Department of English, where all three students first developed their award-winning works.

“This award represents a profound recognition for our students,” Hughes said. “Among all the applicants from schools all over Texas, the excellence of their works stood out, against competitors ranging from other small private colleges to DI universities.”

For the students, the recognition carries personal significance beyond academic achievement. Patton, who has struggled with confidence in her writing since middle school, found the selection particularly meaningful.

“I’ve never felt too confident in my own writing before, and the fact that my first one-act play was chosen for this honor feels like a dream I never want to wake up from,” she said.

Philip Hough – Garland, Texas

An unexpected creative process sparked Hough’s journey to recognition. His winning play emerged from writer’s block on a different project.

“It wasn’t the play I had set out intending to write, but it was the play I needed to write,” Hough said.

Strawn’s Galatea reimagines the ancient Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, focusing on the title character’s journey of self-discovery after coming to life.

“I always felt the original story robbed her of her personhood,” Strawn explained. “So essentially, I wrote this play in order to explore what it would be like for Galatea to learn what it is to be a person and to actually be alive.”

The Traditional Category selects six works statewide, while the 10-Minute Play Category selects three. At the Theatrefest Conference in Arlington in early October, the students will see their plays performed in staged readings by professional actors and directors, followed by discussions with theatre educators and practitioners from across Texas.

Hughes emphasized that the collaborative nature of theatre makes this exposure particularly valuable for emerging playwrights.

“If we want to progress as artists, we need to constantly be listening to and learning from other directors, actors, and designers to keep improving,” he said. “It’s also a chance to make connections: scripts are scripts. To turn their scripts into plays, playwrights need those collaborators.”

The recognition reflects the liberal arts college’s commitment to fostering creativity beyond traditional classroom boundaries. Hughes noted that while he encouraged submissions, the students independently revised their works and prepared submission materials.

“To me, that says what we do here at HSU is instill in our students a passion that goes beyond grades and due dates,” Hughes said. “For these students, the arts and humanities are more than subjects in lectures and seminars, but an active part of the world they live in.”

For Hough, the opportunity represents validation that extends beyond the immediate recognition.

“This is the first time anyone who’s not a close friend or family member or professor is going to see something I’ve made,” he said. “I’m both incredibly excited and incredibly terrified to see what audiences make of it and if it resonates with them.”

The three students look forward to representing HSU at the statewide gathering, with Strawn noting the significance of multiple selections from one institution.

“It’s also super cool to be able to say that not just one but three of us had our plays selected, so I feel pretty proud of HSU right now,” she said.

As they prepare for the October conference, all three students express renewed confidence in their creative abilities. Patton, despite planning graduate studies in psychology, sees writing as part of her future.

“I know just how much words can have power and how they can influence people and seep into their psyches,” she said. “I hope I’ll find some way to integrate my own passion for writing into my future endeavors in psychology.”

The achievement marks a significant milestone for HSU’s theatre and English programs, demonstrating the university’s capacity to develop student talent that competes successfully at the state level.