Young Playwrights' Grownup Themes

The whistling, stamping enthusiasm at Friday's dress rehearsal for the fourth annual High School Playwrights Festival, together with a plea from the Bay Street Theatre's producer, Murphy Davis, not to stick gum on the seats, gave a hint that it was a student audience. But given the high level of writing, acting, and production, the adult spectators on Saturday were no doubt just as vociferous.

All the plays addressed pretty heavy topics: pregnancy and abortion, physical abuse, family stress and responsibility, the demands of friendship, interracial relationships. It may be a sign of the times, or perhaps that the teenage years are when children are suddenly catapulted into the minefield of adult life.

As Mr. Davis put it, "These plays are from their hearts and guts, and it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there."

"Violent Mercies"

The lights went up on a simple stage set: red rectangular units of different sizes, which were rearranged for each play by the efficient stage crew. The audience was immediately swept up into the energy of the first play, "Violent Mercies."

Written by Michelle Stachecki of Southampton High School and directed by Jacqui Leader, it was a disturbing and effective demonstration of how domestic violence can be passed from one generation to another.

An angry teenager, played with an alarming, coiled violence by Nick Clapp, is repeating the abuse he suffered from his father by hitting his girlfriend. His sister, played by Amanda Crocker, who was also abused, desperately tries to get him to seek help before it is too late.

Teenage Pregnancy

In "Decisions," written by Melissa Tiska of Bridgehampton High School and directed by Laura Lee Bruce, two girls, acted by Ms. Tiska and LaShanna Hopson (a theater natural), address the problems of teenage pregnancy, unwanted children, and the pros and cons of abortion while waiting for the results of a pregnancy test.

But, as it reads negative, we are left in the dark about what decision the worried girl would ultimately have made.

"Only communicate" seemed to be the message of Pierson High School's "Temporary Reality," written by Jennifer Lazar, acted by Justin Grimbol and Gwen Levinson, and directed by Norman Kline.

It dealt movingly with the problems of friendship and the need to recognize that pain and anguish are part of the human condition.

Sister And Brother

"The Trip," a second play from Southampton High School, was perhaps the best constructed of all, with a tight plot line and snappy action.

Written by Kathryn Murphy and directed by Mindy Washington, it presented a resolution of conflict between a straight-A student, played by Christine Hauck, and her brother, Brian Cancellieri, who is failing his classes as a result of the death of their father.

Among the students, the most popular offering was "Ever Since That Day," written by Raishawn Harris of the Frederick Douglass Academy during an intensive three-day playwriting course held at Boys Harbor - the first time Bay Street has offered that program - and directed by Karole Turner-Stevens.

One of the playwriting program's most gratifying surprises was that some students doing less well academically turned out to be its brightest stars.

The play, involving a mixed-race relationship and dealing with the concept that good friends should understand and support each other even under difficult circumstances, was acted by two consummate hams, William Terry and Ohene Cornelius. The pair, particularly Ohene, would seem to have bigger and brighter lights in their futures.

"Mauled By A Bear"

There was one hilarious black comedy, "Mauled by a Bear," written by Daniel Fokine of Shelter Island High School and directed by Helene Leonard.

To the roars of a raging bear, two campers, a father and son, stagger on stage. The father, played by an adult actor, Tom Gustin, has been mortally wounded but seems to find the situation riotously funny. They are lost, without shelter, food, or water, and the father is of no help to his sanctimonious son, played by Nick Hamblet, who wants to go for help but doesn't know which way to go.

"There's nothing out there," the son complains, "except the remains of Uncle Frankie and the guide." After whining on about his feckless father's shortcomings, the son leaves - and gets eaten by the bear amid plenty of screams. The father collapses. End of play.

I'm not quite sure what the message was here, but it was a barrel of laughs. All six plays, in fact, were good, gripping theater.

Playwriting Course

Mary Spitzer and John Martin Green taught the seven-week program, sponsored by the Bay Street Theatre, that culminated in the weekend's performances.

At the start, she explained, students were given writing assignments concentrating on character development and how to build tension. They were told to concentrate on what they knew and always to keep in mind five key questions - who the characters are, what they want, and where, when, and how they will get it.

In the last two or three weeks of the course, the students, from Bridgehampton, Southampton, Pierson, and Shelter Island High Schools, started to work on their plays. Each cast was restricted to two characters. A panel of judges chose the six finalists whose plays would be produced.

A Gratifying Surprise

One of the program's most gratifying surprises, said Ms. Spitzer, was that some students who weren't doing so well academically turned out to be its brightest stars.

"It's great for them to see that while they may not have succeeded in one area, they can do so in another," she said.

The students were involved in every stage of production: acting, lighting, costuming, stage management, scene shifting, even ticket sales.

In addition to the local schools, Bay Street invited the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, an alternative school within the New York City public school system (recently featured on "60 Minutes"), to take part in the experimental crash course at Boys Harbor.

One Day To Write A Play

Ten students and a teacher from the academy attended the intensive program, and Raishawn Harris's "Ever Since That Day" was ultimately chosen for performance.

The intensity and concentration of the workshop was inspiring, said Ms. Spitzer. The students had only one day to write their plays, and on that day "there was an intense silence," she said. "The only sound was that of pen on paper."

The Playwrights Festival is a fine example of interaction between schools and community groups.