The Phoenix Theatre and Edmonds Community College Collaborate to Showcase New Playwrights 

A full house audience at The Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds was treated to stage readings from the Fall class of 2017 playwriting graduates from Edmonds Community College who presented their world premiere 10-minute plays on stage. Topics of the plays ran from hilarious comedies about family dynamics and thanksgiving dinners to poignant moments reflecting broken relationships and end of life issues.

The class met on 6 Saturday mornings from 10 - noon at EDCC. The students were given writing prompts and also taught the basics of playwrighting with a focus on the 10 minute play. Debra Rich Gettleman is a celebrated playwright and journalist. She is also the Managing Director of The Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds, WA. Her idea was to work with EDCC in a way that would enable students and members of the community to explore the art form of the 10 minute play. The class culminated in an evening of stage readings at The Phoenix Theatre with professional actors and directors. The playwrights got to experience the full process of bringing an idea from "page to stage."

"These students were extraordinary," commented Rich Gettleman, "They were open to digging into their own souls and telling their own stories. We found so much humor and pathos in the daily nuggets of truth that all too often go unnoticed as we race through life."

"I had never written a play before, " said student, Lexie Knull. "But once we learned the basics of how to uncover the nuggets of truth in our lives, we all just seemed to blossom."

The students who attended the class and the event at The Phoenix Theatre included Lexie Knull, Cathy Kaufman, Krista Mitchell, Pam Espinosa, Quaitlin Peterson Merrit.