Long Wharf Theatre Completes First Ever Residency at Hillhouse High School
By: Gabrielle Sierra Apr. 13, 2011
Writing a play of any length in a month is an extremely daunting task. Yet, 20 Hillhouse High School sophomores achieved that goal on Tuesday.
Long Wharf Theatre's education department embarked on its first ever residency at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, taking place from March 1 through April 5. The final performance on April 12 occurred for an audience of approximately 100 family, friends and teachers.
"They are a receptive and creative group of kids who were willing to go to deep places inside themselves, committing to their own voices and their own points of view," said Annie DiMartino, Long Wharf Theatre's director of education.
Through group work, Kevin Barbero's creative writing class created four 10-minute plays, inspired by the questions: Can a single, recurring symbol capture the entire history and peoples of a culture? What symbol best captures the story of New Haven?
The four plays written were:
The Moment it Happened (a play that discussed the consequences of remaining silent after being raped),
The Road Beyond Here (a play that explored gang violence and the decision one must make to either seek retribution or offer forgiveness)
Barbie Doll (a play that investigated body image and the particular challenges women have today)
Power Conquers Failure (a play that discussed the questions of athletics vs. academics)
The class performed in the Hillhouse High School auditorium and the students not performing on stage doubled as ushers, light board operators and backstage crew. They performed in front of other Hillhouse classes as well as family and friends. There were approximately 100 in attendance.
Director of Education Annie DiMartino worked with Barbero's creative writing class to create the original 10-minute plays. His class has been examining some classics of the American theatre, including A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange. "We are now focusing on the progression of blacks as a cultural group, focusing on how symbols tell the story of this culture," Barbero said. "We've been studying how recurring symbols or motifs drive the plays forward. We've focused on how black playwrights use blood, water, and the kitchen as important symbols, amongst others."
DiMartino gave Hillhouse students a comprehensive workshop on how to create a piece of theatre while exploring some of the biggest issues facing American society today - racism, women's rights, and the reclamation of a people from historic wrongs. "We hope that as a group the students were able to decide what culture means to them and able to develop a cultural statement while creating their new plays," DiMartino said.
Each scene, centered on a unique cultural symbol, was created by a group of five students, who also performed the play. A script editor was in charge of collecting the students' written material and editing it into a cohesive work. A graphic designer created each play's production art. The sound designer also selected four minutes worth of music for both before and after the show that speaks to the themes of the work. Finally, a costume designer created actor clothing that spoke to characters' personalities and socioeconomic stature.
Each student contributed monologues and dialogues to their respective pieces and the group will work together to create a theatrical whole. "They've been analyzing plays in sequence. This gave them a different way of dissecting a theatrical work," DiMartino said.
The students will then select their favorite scripts and submit them to the Hillhouse Drama Club for possible full production.
For more information about Long Wharf Theatre's education programs, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.
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