Imagine trying to write a script, make props, and perform a play all in one day! On January 8th a group of students, 11 of them from Western Albemarle High School, (as well as others from Monticello and Albemarle high schools) went to Monticello High School for a drama event where they did just that. The students were placed in groups and given a theme on which they were instructed to create a play around. They then wrote, produced, and performed a play. However, it is not as simple as taking the script straight to the stage: “They [the students] had to plan every aspect from lighting to prop construction,” said Alexandra Kingsley, a junior who attended Wired Playwriting.
The groups had to work together to achieve their common goal of creating an interesting play that related to their given theme. “We were completely open with each other and by the end of this practice we were close friends,” said Madison Weikle, when asked about how well her group collaborated. The students came out with a positive experience because of the supportive attitude of the other participants. Additionally, the adults also gave the students positive feedback during their rehearsals and later after the performances.
This event provided a way for artistically-inclined students to express their talents. It also allowed those who participated to work together with those from other schools. “Due to a focus on sports teams, our schools are generally pitted against each other. Wired was a really different event than most in that it wasn’t a competition,” Kingsley said. Additionally “Wired showed the students how much they could get done in a certain small amount of time- and how well they could work together if they put their minds to it. The time pressure forced them to be more productive and put more effort into collaboration,” said Caitlin Pitts, the drama teacher at WAHS.
There were a variety plays that were made by the students, such as one called “Fact” written by Weikle and her group. The play “was about a homeless girl who lived in her head and created a party with people, that impacted her life in some little way, in her head,” Weikle said. There were numerous other plays created that day, and all of the finished products were performed for an audience at the end of that same day.
“I think it went really well. [There were ] Amazing creative theatrical pieces and some wonderful performances.” Pitts said.