A New Exchange!!!

Freshman drama students at the Southern New Jersey Academy of Performing Arts are learning new ways to turn ideas into dramatic scripts.

FromTHE PERFORMANCE LAB studios in the Twin Cities [Minnesota], Actress/Playwright Kim Hines coaches the kids in two wild interactive sessions.

Session I GIFTS
Kim offers a gift to Academy kids -- it's her take on a real-life situation. See if you can guess what inspired her antics. Also pay attention to the way this gifted actress uses the screens. What do the various images do to her message?

Now, it's your turn. You'll present your gift -- of yourself, from your own life -- to Kim and to the other kids. Kim will work with you to bring out the dramatic values in each situation. Try to use the screen itself in your performance.

Session II THE DRAMATIC IDEA
Opoosite are some newspaper clippings, some funny, some serious. All of them tell complex stories. Just click on the name of the clipping in order to read it.

Students, your task is to turn these real-world reports into drama. Different skills are required in each case:

1. The Pig War This is a complex historical event. What story [among many] will you choose to tell?
2. Nicknames You know what happened. What moment would make the most compelling dramatic scene? Before? During? After?
3. Arnold Electricity You know quite a bit about the protagonist. How can you build on his persona to make an effective and funny scene?
4. Royals A love story. How will you show that the young bride, who's a commoner, is worthy to marry a prince?
5. White Supremecist A serious social issue can lead you as a playwright in lots of directions. How will you make this very foolish man human?
6. Lauder Beauty Eccentrics are the stuff of drama. Risk also plays a part in this famous lady's story. Can you find a dramatic situation for her? You might think of Durenmatt's The Visit as a model.
7. Lost & Alone Here, there's a clear situation and we know how it affects a character. What kind of character is she? Do we like her?
8. Butterfly Here's an idea that involves non-human creatures. Movement could be key to this scene, don't you think?