DELRAY BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — Fresh from winning its battle with Delray Beach, the Arts Garage is launching it's annual student play series.
From Arts Garage:
As a part of its expanded education outreach initiative, The Theater at the Arts Garage will partner with Take Heed Theater Company to bring its annual student new plays festival, From the Mouths of Babes, to the community and audiences of Delray Beach.
Written by students from G-Star School of the Arts, including Skylar Stratemeyer, Esther Adu, Jacqueline Horkey, Zoe Alvarado, Arden Jurkis, Julia Price,Camilla Morell, Rhianwynn Russello and Amanda Hudson, this remarkable compilation of short plays tackle issues including bullying, first dates, string theory, and gender roles. Covering the gamut from high-comedy to theater-of-the-absurd, to poignant and touching drama, a cast of student and professional actors present the world as seen through the eyes of and uniquely expressed From the Mouths of Babes!
“When we want to understand the world in a fresh and original way, ask the children,” said Lou Tyrrell, Artistic Director of Theatre at Arts Garage. “When we want to feel the pulse of this moment in our lives with a new perspective, the children will tell us. From the Mouths of Babes is a production of short plays and monologues from the minds and imaginations of young playwrights, reflecting their take on the world from their young lives.”
From the Mouths of Babes offers students the opportunity to work with professional theatre artists in the development of their own original scripts, from first concept to full production. During the school year, through theatre classes, play attendance, and playwriting workshops, ten-minute scripts and monologues are solicited from area high school students. Students are encouraged to utilize strong characters, minimal settings, and compelling stories to explore any topic they choose. Scripts are read by a selection committee and scored in areas that include literary quality, creativity, poetry, and “stage-ability.” The committee then recommends between four to six scripts and monologues for development and production.
Over the course of six weeks, student playwrights work with Take Heed Resident Playwright, Matt Stabile, to rewrite, refine, and ready their scripts for production. During this period, student playwrights meet weekly for story conferences, note sessions, and table reads with Mr. Stabile and other professionals from the Take Heed Theater Company. At the end of the six-week session, the plays and monologues are ready for the next step: production.
Each play and monologue is assigned a professional director who meets with the playwright and production designer. After weeks of focus on each individual play, it is then determined how best to integrate the plays and monologues into a cohesive evening of theatre, in collaboration with Lou Tyrrell, artistic director of The Theatre at Arts Garage.
Auditions are held and the shows are cast, using a combination of student actors and professional actor-mentors. In an attempt to offer as many different educational opportunities as possible, backstage and crew positions are also made available to students. The individual shows rehearse separately for a period of three weeks and then integrated for the final week of rehearsal before opening. This unique artistic evening is then presented to audiences as part of a celebration of youth, theatre, and collaboration.
Beginning in 2006, under founding company Rude Mechanical Productions (RMP), From the Mouths of Babes has long been a favorite of area audiences and artists alike, and has already offered nearly 100 students from around Palm Beach County valuable core curriculum writing experience, as well as their first professional credits in the theatre. RMP then passed the torch to Take Heed Theater Company, which has continued this important student arts tradition. This new partnership with The Theatre at Arts Garage offers the next step in the professional evolution of this important South Florida theatre-education initiative.
