Wichita State University’s Amanda Schmalzried has won the 2024 Bela Kiralyfalvi Student Playwriting Competition for her play, “The Angel of Death.”  

Schmalzried’s play was among 29 scripts submitted from 24 colleges and universities across the nation. She is the seventh Wichita State student who has won the competition in its 49-year history. 

“The Angel of Death” will be presented as a staged reading in March 2025 at the Welsbacher Theatre in the WSU Hughes Metroplex.  

Comments from the selection competition’s selection committee include: “Unafraid to be twistedly descriptive. It’s a clever, humorous approach to how redemption and forgiveness can come from even the darkest, creepiest of places.” And “The playwright seamlessly blends the script with themes of retribution and salvation. It highlights an underrepresented topic that we would love to see explored and expanded on. This is a well-crafted work of art that speaks to the human condition on a multitude of levels.” 

Schmalzried is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in theater and certificates in directing and filmmaking. Her passions are directing and scriptwriting for theater and film and TV, and she said her mission as an artist is “to create spaces for untold stories and challenge audiences with new perspectives.” 

The Wichita State University National Playwriting Contest was created in 1974 by Dr. Bela Kiralyfalvi, theater professor and director of the School of Performing Arts until his retirement in 2003. Born in Balkany, Hungary, in 1937, Kiralyfalvi emigrated to the United States in 1956 during the time of the Hungarian revolution. 

For more information about the Bela Kiralyfalvi National Student Playwriting Competition, visit wichita.edu/playwright or contact the WSU School of Performing Arts wichita.edu/spa at 316-978-3360 or  performingarts@wichita.edu. 

Learn more about the Bela Kiralyfalvi National Student Playwriting Competition

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

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