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Playmaking Project
Berkeley Repertory Theater's Playmaking Project is an intensive, two-week playwriting residency for high-risk middle and high school students. The Playmaking Project at Rock LaFleche Community School was offered daily after school to 12-15 students. Each student created a play, using metaphor and symbolism, that drew on personal experiences. During the first week, students were introduced to the basics of character-building through imagination and improvisation exercises. The students were then asked to transfer their imagined characters to paper, thereby establishing a connection between acting and writing. Students worked on character development and dramatic conflict through improvisational exercises based on metaphor: for example, giving human characteristics to objects or animals. This approach allowed them to view human emotions in a new way, while avoiding imitating popular media characters. In the second week, each young artist was paired with an adult coach and guided through the process of creating a short play animated by the characters and situations he or she had created the week before. The two weeks culminated in a day of rehearsals with professional actors, during which the young writers became directors, giving feedback regarding character motivation, staging and delivery. Finally, the plays were presented in a staged reading for an audience of family and friends. |
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