Write a Play Together! Super Silly and Serious

You are waiting for the ancient amazons to arrive in their invisible plane to deliver brownies for your birthday party. But what happens to them? You live on Mars. You have a bad cold and your best-friends, the amoebas from Saturn are flying in for a sleep-over. You can't find the kleenex. What do you do? Your chinese food restaurant gets spun back in time. So you go to Las Vegas to win a fortune and find your way home. 

We write the play. We perform a staged reading of it.


This offering is for those looking to have a full rich theatrical experience. The group will write, rehearse and perform a short play of their own making. In the short format of this class( 5-7 weeks) we focus on writing the play and performance.  In the longer class format (8-10 weeks)  we introduce students to several aspects of theatre: from theatre games and improvisation to create the characters to movement improvisation and vocal technique to technical aspects which supplement the rehearsal and performance process. The class finishes with a performance of the work in progress for friends and family.

 Course Goals:

1. to trust their creative impulses will lead them into a gold mine 
2. to voice their ideas
3. to discern the juiciest and richest course of action from the flat safe choice
4. to collaborate within a thriving ensemble
5. to allow the group mind to lead
6. to learn about group dynamic 

Why would a student want to take the course?

It is so much fun! The end result, the play, gives you a wonderful sense of accomplishment and sense of self, your voice out there in the world. Our last class includes a staged reading of your new play. 

Director, Michelle Pelletier has taught and/ or directed at American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, California Theatre Center in Alaska, Sonoma County Repertory, Santa Clara University, The Vallejo Ballet Conservatory, Sonoma Ballet Conservatory, West County Theatre Arts Guild, and Sonoma Charter School. Michelle is a graduate of American Conservatory Theatre and Tamalpa Institute. Her acting resume includes theatre and television. Michelle was the Founding Director of the Creation Conservatory which won a 2001 Bohemian award: “Best place to let your kids expressive your creative self.”  


SCENES FROM SOME OF THE CLASS PLAYS

LIGHTENED
SCENE 1

Today, in the Forest at dusk. 

Skylar, Alex in their school uniforms and Brinley, a fashionista, are lost walking through the forest. They are all slightly dirty. They walk around an enormous tree. Skyler trips on a tree root and falls on the ground. 

SKLYER
Oww!


ALEX
(He helps Skyler up.)

Are you ok?


BRINLEY
 (She speaks with a bit an an attitude.) 

Oh my gosh Skyler! Are you ok?


SKYLER
That hurt. I’m going to have a bruise.

(She brushes off her legs.)


ALEX
Let’s continue to the river. I need some water. 

( He grabs Skyler's hand and they walk around the tree.)


BRINLEY
( Walks forward and holds her phone up to the sky. She moves it from side to side. )

OMG guys, I like totally have no reception here. What am I going to do?

( The other kids stop, look at her and roll their eyes. Alex walks up to Brinley)


ALEX
I wish you hadn’t been walking on our side of the street when we fell through the portal.


BRINLEY
( She throws her purse at Alex.)

I wish I wasn’t either! Now my lipstick is gone, thanks to you.


SKYLER
Please stop fighting!

( They both turn around in a huff )


BRINELY
You can’t tell me what to do. I’m older than you.


ALEX
( Sticks his tongue out at Brinley and does a raspberry. )


BRINLEY
( Turns toward Alex )

Ewww Alex, take your spittle off of me! 


SKYLER
You two! 

( We hear a snapping sound. ) 

Shhh. Did you hear something?
 

ALEX
I’m still thirsty. 


WILLOW
(Jumps down from his perch in the tree above. The kids scramble out of the way towards the bushes.)

Get out of my forest!



TRICK OR TREAT
SCENE 4 

In the Attic of the Mansion. We see Rose, an old witch sweeping the floor, humming to herself. Ariana, 9 years old is asleep on the floor. She moves and wakes up with a start. She is disheveled. 



ROSE
Here sweetie. Come over here. 

She continues sweeping the floor. 


ARIANA
She backs away from the woman.

How do I know you’re not a doll?


ROSE
Dolls don’t sweep the floor, sweetie. 


ARIANA
I don’t trust you. Please don’t call me sweetie. 


ROSE
I am a witch and can make a potion for you to get out. 


ARIANA
You are not a witch. All witches are boys. 


ROSE
That’s one mystery. Here let me prove it. I will make a potion that will make you fly into the air.  Grab me that rose. I will add this rose into my cauldron, and I will add the tongue of toad and an eye of crow, from my pocket here,  and then you shall have fairy wings. The rose adds the fairy wings, unless you want dragon or bat wings. 


ARIANA
That is a bucket of dirty water to clean the floor. 


ROSE
Behold my cauldron! 


ARIANA
That is dirty water. 

ROSE
Don’t be picky sweetie.  

The fairy wings appear on ARIANA’s back. 


ARIANA
Wow, you really are a witch. How do I use these?  


ROSE
You press the button on the side of the wings and then turn your head the direction you want to go. 


ARIANA
A button, I thought this was magic?


ROSE
It is magic. Just because you can understand it, doesn’t mean it’s not magic. 


ARIANA
How do I fly in here? This is an attic, the roof is so low, we can barely stand up.


ROSE
I can make the roof taller or you smaller.


ARIANA
Make me smaller. 

Rose waves her broom around and Ariana gets smaller. 

	Whoa, I’m so tiny, I can fit under the door. 


ROSE
Now fly and escape. 


ARIANA
Exits 


ROSE
That’s why I made you smaller.