Play/Write Director Francesca McKenzie
The city is full of activity and beautiful weather that beckons us to come outside to play before it gets too blazingly hot. Given these circumstances, it is difficult for a teacher to keep a student’s
interests for very long. The end of this month marks the third full school year I have taught in a New Orleans public charter school. Although spring has its distractions, post-LEAP test taking
time is the most opportune occasion for real education to happen. In my years of experience, it is this season where students reap what they have sown and you can see how much they have really learned. You can actually see the light bulb go off in a students mind as a concrete idea develops, travels out of their mouth, and then illuminates their entire face.
MORE: Watch highlights from previous “Play/Write” Showcases
To bear witness to this is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and is what keeps me in the education system.
The most memorable “light bulb” times I have seen are when students are in untraditional classroom settings: in the middle of a corn row at a school garden, sitting in the audience of a sold out Shakespeare show, in line at the Creole Creamery or staring wide eyed at a painting in a museum. There are a lot of problems with our school system – no question there – but it is amazing to find so many teachers in this city that are dedicated to providing students a multitude of full enriching experiences to grow and recognize their unlimited potential.
Goat in the Road’s Play/Write program is absolutely one of those experiences.
Join us Friday May 11th at 7pm at the Play/Write Showcase held at Dillard University. Five professional theater organizations, including Cripple Creek, will produce ten short plays written by middle school students. The Showcase is the culmination of an intensive playwriting program with Goat in the Road teaching artists that began in January. Goat in the Road and Cripple Creek are joined by Amplified Voices, The NOLA Project, Skin Horse Theater, and Dillard University Theatre in creating this inspiring evening.
For most of these students this will be the first time they have ever created something and put it out for the world to see. This Friday may be the scariest day of their lives! It may also be an important opportunity for them to recognize their potential for creative work and how important their voice is. This is going to be an excellent night of theatre not to be missed. We guarantee it will tickle your funny bone and play on your heartstrings. Most importantly, by coming, you are supporting ten young people using their brains well. Help us turn on the light bulbs.
