Dans Hamptons

It’s a pretty typical day at Sag Harbor Middle School: lively voices heard up and down the halls; laughter from the classrooms; music from the band room.

Except in Christine Farrell’s Eighth Grade English class. Not a sound save for two students who are reading a play in the front of the room. Not a distraction in sight, as thirteen teenagers watch their friends act from a script written by a class member. Not a teacher pacing around the room talking about a story’s narrative construction.

Welcome to Bay Street’s Young Playwrights Program as seen through the sensibilities of actor Kate Mueth and writer Will Chandler, two engaging, encouraging, respectful, yet strict professionals who spend two periods a week with Ms. Farrell’s class. It’s a difficult and demanding course, make no mistake: in a few short weeks, students learn to structure a short play with two characters; write dialogue; cast the characters; do revisions; and if a person’s play is selected for a performance at Bay Street, commit to a whole lot more.

But there’s much more to this class than meets the eye or ear. It’s not simply exposure to the art and craft of playwriting. Rather, it’s really about understanding people and experiences and life. And oneself. A big order for Ms. Mueth, Mr. Chandler and Ms. Farrell, yet they get their ideas across with grace and clarity.

They don’t accept excuses for late assignments, either. After all, theatre is a serious discipline just like Arithmetic or Science. Even if in acting and playwriting, one plus one doesn’t always equal two like it does in Math.

Let’s take an example. Ms. Mueth asks Maggie Stahl-Boyhan a few questions about her play, to explain the setting and time period. The teenager seems a bit hesitant about having her work read. “It’s not optional,” responds Ms. Mueth. “There are times in life when your script is going to be read.”

Then, Ms. Mueth gives the order: “Cast your play,” as if she had just said “Action” on a movie set. Nico Cassone and Cindy Alvarez step up to the front of the room, script in hand, reading the words for the first time. Afterwards, Mr. Chandler asks the playwright if the dialogue sounded like what she had imagined. “How did that feel?” he says in a non- threatening way. Maggie answers without hesitation: “It doesn’t sound the same in my mind.” Mr. Chandler responds: “That happens to me.”

While everyone agrees that Maggie’s play is off to a good start, both Ms. Mueth and Mr. Chandler delve deeper, asking her questions such as, “Is that what you mean?” and “Why not try this?” A fellow student, Bobby Deery, throws in his opinion as well, about the color of a character’s dress.

All in all, it is a positive session, with Ms. Mueth, Mr. Chandler and Ms. Farrell staying after class, talking with students and each other.

But what exactly was it about this class that was most striking to an observer like yours truly? Simply put, it was the seemingly effortless way that the teachers used playwriting to teach life lessons: painless and enduring.

Performances of the selected plays will be on March 24 at Bay Street Theatre. Call 631-725-0818 for more information.

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