Life

Students, YouTheatre collaborate as playwrights

By Bill Moss, Published: January 15, 2014

Henderson County high school theater classes and YouTheatre crews of the Flat Rock Playhouse are teaming up for the second annual 24-hour playwriting challenge this weekend.

Dubbed "Between the Rock and a Hendo Place," the competition takes place Friday and Saturday. Theater students from all four high schools will join Playhouse and YouTheatre artists to write, direct and perform four 10-minute plays.
Four writing teams made up of a Playhouse mentor and four student writers — one from each high school — will start work at 5:30 Friday night. By 11:30 p.m., each writing team will have finished a 10-minute play.
The four high school theater teachers, serving as directors, will make preparations for rehearsals that begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Students will receive their freshly written scripts Saturday morning, learn lines and blocking, and with the directors decide on any technical elements for their final performance. On Saturday afternoon, Playhouse technical artists will join the actors and directors in the downtown theatre, where each cast will have 50 minutes to add lights, music and costumes in a tech rehearsal.

The plays will be performed at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Playhouse Downtown. Admission is free. Donations are welcome. Last year all 250 seats were filled and people had to be turned away at the door.