• encourage playwriting instruction by middle and high school teachers
• enrich writing experiences in the classroom through the use of improvisation and creative dramatics
• expose students to theater and playwriting in an active, creative way
• use theater to improve other important skills, such as critical thinking, writing, self-expression, and teamwork
• explore theatrical performance as a way of publishing student work, improving literacy skills, building self-confidence, and enriching positive community

We are recruiting middle and high school teachers (grades 6 -12) to be Partner Teachers in our intensive year-long program. Applications are due September 14, 2009.

In the fall:  An Arena Stage-trained teaching artist works with students to explore the art of
writing a 10-minute play.  Students then write individual10-minute plays to submit to Arena’s annual competition.

In the spring:  The teaching artist works with the same class as a group to devise and rehearse a
collaborative 10-minute play, which the class then performs at the Student Playwrights Project Showcase in May.

PARTNER TEACHERS RECEIVE:

• A year-long partnership with Arena Stage.
• An Arena-trained teaching artist in your classroom to work with you and your students directly. The teaching artist will come to your classroom for approximately 18 visits between October and May.  You and your teaching artist will determine the schedule. The teaching artist will direct the students in a student-written, student-performed piece. The plays will be performed in a final Showcase on May 10 and 11, 2010. (location TBA).
• Professional development workshops on playwriting, creative dramatics, improvisation, and directing. Workshops are taught by professional artists and Arena Stage education staff.  Training may be eligible for professional credit or re-certification hours.
• The Student Playwrights Project Handbook, complete with lesson plans, theory, and resources.  Teachers also receive a copy of Viola Spolin’s Improvisation for the Theater, Will Weigler’s Strategies for Playbuilding:  Helping Groups Translate Issues into Theatre, and Michael Rohd’s Theatre for Community, Conflict & Dialogue:  The Hope is Vital Training Manual.
• Theater tickets for your class to see a weekday matinee of an Arena Stage production. Teachers are responsible for arranging transportation.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATING TEACHERS:

• Meet with your assigned Teaching Artist in person or by phone to schedule visits and to plan.
• Plan to devote 20-25 hours/class periods throughout the year to have the Teaching Artist lead an ongoing exploration of theater and playwriting in your classroom.
• Be present in the classroom and involved as a participant in the activities presented by the Teaching Artist, since teacher participation provides a strong positive model for students. Student teachers are welcome to participate, but they cannot substitute.  You, the classroom teacher must be present when the Teaching Artist is working in the classroom.
• Ensure that each student completes an individual ten-minute play and submits it to the competition.
• Ensure that students are prepared to participate (lines & blocking memorized) in the final performance Showcase (location TBA).
• Attend all required professional development workshops.
• Arrange transportation for Arena Stage fieldtrips to ensure students’ participation.
• Continue the work on playwriting or rehearsal between Teaching Artist visits.  You may be dropped from the program if the Teaching Artist reports that nothing has been done in the classroom between visits.

COST STRUCTURE:

If selected as a Partner Teacher, you must commit to all aspects of the program.

The cost per classroom to participate in the Student Playwrights Project is $500.
Teachers in D.C. Public or Charter Schools will receive a discounted rate of $300.

For more information call 202-234-5782 or email education@arenastage.org.

For an application, click here >

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT ARENA STAGE NO LATER THAN
5:00 PM ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14.

There are several other ways for teachers and students to participate in the Student Playwrights Project.

Teachers whose schools are located inside the Capital Beltway may schedule a one-time interactive playwriting workshop with an Arena Stage theater-educator to help prepare students to write a 10-minute play. 45-minute workshops may be scheduled to take place between October 27 and November 24, 2009. Workshops are limited to 30 students and are FREE as long as at least fifteen (15) students submit an entry to Arena’s annual 10-minute play competition (details below). We are sorry that we cannot accommodate free workshop requests from schools located outside the Capital Beltway. If your school is not Metro-accessible, you may be asked to provide transportation from the nearest Metro station. Call 202-234-5782 or email il education@arenastage.org after October 1 to arrange a workshop.

Arena Stage invites D.C. metro-area students between the 5th and 12th grades to enter an original ten-minute play into the 2010 Student Playwrights Project Ten-Minute Play Competition.  Plays must be received no later than Friday, December 4, 2009.

Awards for winning playwrights:

• Up to ten winners workshop their plays with professional playwrights, directors, and dramaturgs
• Winning plays are performed by professional actors in February
• Winning playwrights receive a $250 cash prize
• Honorable Mention plays receive staged readings by professional actors

Playwrights:

• Playwrights must be students in 5th through 12th grades
• Students must attend school in the District of Columbia, the City of Alexandria, or one of the following counties: Loudoun, Prince William, Fairfax, Arlington, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, or St. Mary’s.  Home schooled students must be residents of D.C., Alexandria, or one of the listed counties.

Requirements:

• Plays must be the original, unpublished work of one playwright. Pieces written by more than one student will not be accepted.
• Suggested length is 6-10 pages; plays longer than 12 pages will not be read.
• All submissions must include an Arena Stage cover sheet, which may be downloaded here >
  Plays will not be accepted without a cover sheet.
  • All plays must be typed, double-spaced, in 12 pt font, with page numbers.
  • The title of the play and the playwright’s grade should be listed on each page of the play.
  • The playwright’s name, contact information, or school should not appear anywhere on the play except the cover sheet. 

Mail three (3) copies of the play with the cover sheet attached to the top copy to:
           
Student Playwrights Project
Arena Stage – Community Engagement Division
1101 Sixth Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024

Please note:    This is a mailing address via USPS only – plays cannot be hand-
delivered or FedExed to this address.

Entries must be received by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 4, 2009 to be eligible for competition.  Submitted scripts will not be returned. 

If you would like to confirm receipt of your submission, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard.  Please do not call about the status of your play.  Winners will be notified by Arena Stage and the list posted here sometime in January.