Scholars at Denzel Washington School of the Arts participate in playwriting workshop
Sixth grade students at Denzel Washington School of the Arts sat in the auditorium for a playwriting session on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. They raised their hands enthusiastically, as they shared their ideas for play plots with Arc Stages, a multifaceted arts organization from Pleasantville, New York.
Arc Stages is a theater that provides educational programming as well as community stage and professional programming. They partner with several school districts throughout Westchester, teaching young students about the arts and playwriting.
Arc Stages began their visit to DWSA by performing a play about playwriting. The group sang songs about the importance of capturing a strong moral or goal for the story, as well as creating intriguing characters, setting, conflict and theme.
Afterwards, members of Arc Stages visited classrooms to continue teaching students about playwriting. Students learned about how scripts are formatted and the proper way to write stage directions before developing their own plays. Students brainstormed ideas for their stories and began writing their plays.
“It was fun, and I feel like this will help open up doors for me because I like writing stories. It’s fun to express yourself through them,” said Kimora Spence, a sixth grader at DWSA. “I had written a story, but I wasn’t quite sure how to finish it yet. I was hoping that I could read it to them, so that I could finish it. I think I might want to end it on a cliff hanger.”
Arc Stages will visit DWSA again on February 10, when they will assist with editing and revising students’ plays.