An Evening of Short Stories at Center for the Arts

On Friday July 23, 2021, the Marco Island Center for the Arts “Playmaker’s Lab” featured eight special original plays written by the students in just two weeks! This workshop was modeled after the hugely successful 52nd Street Project in New York City.

The Playmakers Lab was led by playwright, director and theater artist, Chris Dayett. According to Chris, many years ago he fell in love with the 52nd Street Project with the concept of teaching kids how to write plays. At that time, Chris did not know what he wanted to be, and it was not till a few years later that he realized he enjoyed writing plays.

After a casual conversation with Hyla Crane, Executive Director for Marco’s Center for the Arts, starting with I have this idea of a summer workshop similar to the 52nd Street Project,Hyla knew what it was about and jumped into the opportunity to make it happen.

This two-week program was rooted in storytelling, turning them into short plays and having those plays come to life. For two weeks Chris worked with the students and heard a bunch of wonderful and interesting stories. According to Chris, we all love to tell stories; some are long, some are very short, and some are very exaggerated.

For the first week, the workshop discussed what makes a great story and coming up with endings. Then they wrote down some ideas and one or two ideas stuck. By the end of week one, the students had an entire play written. The second week, they introduced some actors so the students could learn how others read their plays and what it was like to let go of your story and put it in the hands of actors. The students received very honest feedback and they all made adjustment to their stories.

The students also learned how to design costumes and how to design their sets. Lastly, the students also designed the logo for their plays.

To a full house, the students’ original plays came to life.

“The Defense”, by Stella Papa:  Donnie by Charlie Blum and Marie by Hyla Crane. Stage Directions by Prestley Irvan.

“The Store” by Chase Cook:  Chase by Chris Dayett and George by Anthony Politi. Stage Directions by Sofia Saavedra.

“Roof Juice” by Ella Riley:  Braden by Anthony Politi, Pete by Chris Dayett and Teacher by Charlie Blum. Stage Directions by Sofia Saavedra.

“Wanted for Murder” by Josie Salinas: Lisa by Annabelle Frazer and Anna by Sofia Saavedra. Stage Directions by Chris Dayett

“Falling Through” by Alessandra Alber: Malorie by Prestley Irvan and Katie by Annabelle Frazer. Stage Direction by Chris Dayett.

“The Fight” by Leyla Jones: Shadow by Annabelle Frazer, Electric by Chris Dayett and Mom by Hyla Crane. Stage Directions by Charlie Blum.

“Go Fish” by Aurora O’Donnell: Quinn by Chris Dayett and North by Anthony Politi. Stage Directions by Hyla Crane.

“The Owl Divorce” by Isla Ray: Donnie by Chris Dayett and Marie by Prestley Irvan. Stage Directions by Anthony Politi.

About the Center for the Arts:  Founded in 1969 by a dedicated group of artists and patrons, the nonprofit Art Center has developed into a place to gather, to learn and to become inspired. The program offerings include classes and workshops for adults and children. The Art Center brings a wide variety of arts to the community including visual, music, literature, and special presentations. It is a showcase for local, national, and international artists in many disciplines.