CTC Partners with Westfield YMCA and Westfield State College
Contact:
Byam Stevens
413-354-7770
byam@chestertheatre.org
Chester - The Camp Shepard Project, a joint partnership of Chester Theatre Company, Westfield State College Theatre Arts Program and the Westfield YMCA, will present two public performances of an evening of one act plays written by Westfield area middle school students. HUNGER! The Appetite Plays will be presented at the Ely Studio Theatre at Westfield State College at 7:00pm on Friday, October 23 and Saturday October 24, 2009.
Tickets, which are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students, will be sold at the door.Proceeds help fund work by future student playwrights. For reservations, please call 413.572-5682.
These are not your typical student plays. Authored by Westfield area middle school students after a play writing course taught at the Westfield YMCA, the plays are co-produced by the Chester Theatre Company and The Westfield State College Theater Arts Program, teaming professional directors and designers with WSC student actors to realize the visions of the young playwrights.
The four zany, poignant, funny plays in HUNGER! The Appetite Plays are the product of a weekend writing retreat led by CTC Artistic Director Byam Stevens, recipient of the prestigious Champion of Arts Education Award from the Massachusetts Alliance of Arts Educators. At the retreat, each playwright was matched with a professional director, who acted as a mentor through the creative process.
According to Stevens, “Each of these plays deals with characters who have large appetites, appetites that compel them to take action. So whether it’s a whale with a yen for ballet, an ambitious geologist terrified of heights, a clown who yearns to be a lawyer, or an activist trying to save the forest from a greedy developer, they all face the challenge of achieving their desires. The range of material, the imagination and heart that surfaced in this group of young playwrights amazed me.”
The program, modeled on the acclaimed 52nd Street Project in New York, provides a unique opportunity for students in grades 6-8. The young playwrights taking full advantage of this opportunity are Elizabeth Beaulieu, Allyson Morin, Nina Rodriguez and Abigail Wang. According to YMCA Program Operations Director Rosann Scalise, “This program has a profound impact. The kids get such an incredible amount of attention: the classes, working one on one with professional directors, participating in rehearsals with the actors and designers – it’s a real confidence booster.
The Camp Shepard Playwrights Project is funded through the generous support of Shurtleff Children’s Services of Westfield and a 2009 Writer’s Voice Grant from the YMCA of the USA.
In addition to its professional season, CTC coordinates a wide range of theatre education outreach for youth of all ages. For more information, visit chestertheatre.org or call 413-354-7770.
Byam Stevens
413-354-7770
byam@chestertheatre.org
Chester Theatre Company, Westfield YMCA, Westfield State College
Present:HUNGER!
An Evening of Professionally Produced, Student Written One-Act PlaysOctober 23-24, 2009
Present:HUNGER!
An Evening of Professionally Produced, Student Written One-Act PlaysOctober 23-24, 2009
Chester - The Camp Shepard Project, a joint partnership of Chester Theatre Company, Westfield State College Theatre Arts Program and the Westfield YMCA, will present two public performances of an evening of one act plays written by Westfield area middle school students. HUNGER! The Appetite Plays will be presented at the Ely Studio Theatre at Westfield State College at 7:00pm on Friday, October 23 and Saturday October 24, 2009.
Tickets, which are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students, will be sold at the door.Proceeds help fund work by future student playwrights. For reservations, please call 413.572-5682.
These are not your typical student plays. Authored by Westfield area middle school students after a play writing course taught at the Westfield YMCA, the plays are co-produced by the Chester Theatre Company and The Westfield State College Theater Arts Program, teaming professional directors and designers with WSC student actors to realize the visions of the young playwrights.
The four zany, poignant, funny plays in HUNGER! The Appetite Plays are the product of a weekend writing retreat led by CTC Artistic Director Byam Stevens, recipient of the prestigious Champion of Arts Education Award from the Massachusetts Alliance of Arts Educators. At the retreat, each playwright was matched with a professional director, who acted as a mentor through the creative process.
According to Stevens, “Each of these plays deals with characters who have large appetites, appetites that compel them to take action. So whether it’s a whale with a yen for ballet, an ambitious geologist terrified of heights, a clown who yearns to be a lawyer, or an activist trying to save the forest from a greedy developer, they all face the challenge of achieving their desires. The range of material, the imagination and heart that surfaced in this group of young playwrights amazed me.”
The program, modeled on the acclaimed 52nd Street Project in New York, provides a unique opportunity for students in grades 6-8. The young playwrights taking full advantage of this opportunity are Elizabeth Beaulieu, Allyson Morin, Nina Rodriguez and Abigail Wang. According to YMCA Program Operations Director Rosann Scalise, “This program has a profound impact. The kids get such an incredible amount of attention: the classes, working one on one with professional directors, participating in rehearsals with the actors and designers – it’s a real confidence booster.
The Camp Shepard Playwrights Project is funded through the generous support of Shurtleff Children’s Services of Westfield and a 2009 Writer’s Voice Grant from the YMCA of the USA.
In addition to its professional season, CTC coordinates a wide range of theatre education outreach for youth of all ages. For more information, visit chestertheatre.org or call 413-354-7770.
