Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival Welcomes Netflix’s BOOTS Co-Executive Producer and Writer Greg Cope White as Mentor for 9th Season
Palm Springs, CA – February 3, 2026 —
As mentor for the Festival’s 9th Season, Greg Cope White will work directly with the winning student playwrights, guiding them through the development and refinement of their work while sharing insight into the creative process from page to stage—and screen.
“Mentorship is how stories survive,” said Greg Cope White. “When we invest time, honesty, and encouragement in young writers, we’re not just helping them improve a script—we’re telling them their voice matters. Theater was my safe place growing up, and being able to give that same sense of possibility to the next generation is both a responsibility and a privilege.”
About Greg Cope White
Greg Cope White is a former sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, an author, and an accomplished film and television writer and producer. His bestselling memoir, The Pink Marine, was adapted into the hit Netflix series BOOTS, where he serves as a writer and Co-Executive Producer.
Growing up, the theater and drama department were Greg’s safe spaces.
He recently rediscovered the very first project he wrote at age 16—Every Living Thing Don’t Grow, billed as a three-act play but, in reality, only two. Like life itself, his work evolved—and got better.
An avid cook, Greg’s writing led to contributions for The Huffington Post and hosting a show for the Food Network. His screenwriting credits include three Netflix original films and projects developed for HBO, CBS, NBC, Disney, Fox, and Sony. He is a bi-coastal, polo-playing, sixth-generation Texan with a voracious appetite for life.
About PSYPF
The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PS•YPF), which promotes and encourages theatrical creative writing for elementary, middle, and high school students throughout Riverside County. PS•YPF is currently accepting submissions for the 9th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival. Submissions will be accepted through March 6, 2026, from students enrolled in any school within Riverside County. When the submission window closes, a selection committee will review all entries and choose the most outstanding plays.
Each selected playwright will receive professional mentorship with Greg Cope White to further develop their script and a public staged reading performed by professional actors. Winning plays will be announced in spring 2026. The 9th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival will take place in June 2026 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. More information is available at www.psypf.org.
The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival maintains an active Advisory Board made up of previous festival winners. This year’s board includes Kayla McCarty (2025), Abigail Alldredge (2024), Anthony Banuelos (2024), Erik Evans (2024), George Sandoval (2023), Brooklyn Rutledge (2022), Yamani Scoggins (2021), Cal Vaughan (2020 & 2021), Ava Hemstreet (2020), and Xuan Anh Ly Biggs (2020 & 2023).
PSYPF recently partnered with the Riverside County Office of Education to expand outreach beyond the Coachella Valley to include all of Riverside County. PSYPF is supported by Louisa Higgins, Visual and Performing Arts Administrator for the Riverside County Office of Education.
PSYPF is funded by Western Wind Foundation, Cherry Lane Alternative, Jason Smith and Tom Valach, Tom Hartnett and Paul Reid, and Dorothy and Mel Lefkowitz. PSYPF is sponsored by the Riverside County Office of Education, Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs (Peggy Trott, General Manager), and the Palm Springs Cultural Center (Michael Green, Executive Director).
The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival promotes and encourages creative writing in the theatrical form for elementary, middle, and high school students throughout Riverside County, California. The Festival provides professional mentorship and public staged readings of selected plays. More information is available at www.psypf.org.
