**THE ESSAY SUBMISSION PERIOD HAS ENDED

CONTEST & LIVE EVENT: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

“NIGHT AT THE FORBIDDEN LIBRARY”

THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2023 AT 6:00PM

Are you a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, or have you ever wondered what it’s all about? If so, you can’t afford to miss the live roleplaying event in front of both an in-person and virtual audience, featuring an original Fifth Edition compatible adventure written by Gregory A. Wilson, with five players: four with extensive live experience and one chosen from an essay contest open to local high school students. The event will also serve as the kickoff for ArvCon 2023, the 9th annual charity convention to benefit the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The Dungeon Master and host of the event is Gregory A. Wilson, English professor at St. John’s University in New York City and award-winning author of the graphic novel Icarus, the dark fantasy Grayshade, the 5E supplement and sourcebook Tales and Tomes from the Forbidden Library, and other novels, short stories, and academic works. He is also a game master, podcaster, musician, and host of the Arvan Eleron channel on Twitch TV, focused on story and narrative.

The essay contest is open to all local high school students. A panel of judges led by Gregory A. Wilson and Zac Clay, an educator, game master and voice actor, will select a winning entry from those submitted, and that winner will be invited to participate as our fifth player in the game. He/she will also receive 3 hardcover books and 1 set of dice. The second and third place entrants will receive 1 book and 1 set of dice.

Requirements: write an essay describing why you’re qualified and would like to participate in a public roleplaying event. We are also interested to know what you think the value of roleplaying is to our society. Each essay should be a minimum of one page and a maximum of 2 pages. Any essay over 2 pages in length will be disqualified. Please include a cover sheet with the following information: NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, SCHOOL YOU ATTEND AND GRADE LEVEL. The contest period runs from February 15th to April 17th. All entries must be submitted to info@theklein.org and received no later than 9 pm on April 17th. The Klein will also accept printed hard copies of essays, which should be mailed or delivered to 910 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport, CT 06605. If mailing, please allow extra time for delivery.

The four confirmed players are: Carlos Hernandez, English professor at CUNYBMCC, award-winning author of the young adult novels Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe, and game designer; C.S.E. Cooney, award-winning author, poet, musician, audiobook narrator, and game designer; Zac Clay, voice actor, musician, dungeon master, educator, and content creator; and Robert Austin James, award winning video and audio editor, photographer, and musician. You could be the fifth player in this group!

Join this rare opportunity to participate in a live roleplaying event with professional and amateur players, all at the historic Klein Memorial Auditorium. You and the audience will be engaged in several aspects of theater, including improvisation, performance, roleplay, and teamwork. The event will also be promoted by the Bridgeport Public Library through their partnership in the Klein’s “Learn More About It” program. The Library will recommend three book and/or video titles related to roleplaying and fantasy fiction for audiences to conduct future study.

Tickets to the event go on sale on February 10, 2023 and can be purchased at the Klein’s

box office, online at: www.theklein.org, or by calling 1-800-424-0160, extension 3,

option 2. The ticket price is $5. The event will also be livestreamed, and those tickets

can be purchased through the Klein box office.

Questions? Contact Laurence Caso, Executive Director (203-337-6195)

Click below to download a document version of the contest information.