Goat in the Road Productions (GRP) and Theatre UNO are thrilled to announce the 15th annual Play/Write Showcase at UNO’s Robert E. Nims Theatre (2000 Lakeshore Dr.) on Monday, May 13, & Tuesday, May 14, at 7 p.m. This eagerly anticipated event will feature 16 plays written by fifth and sixth-grade students from New Orleans area schools, brought to life by local theatre and dance companies. The Showcase is FREE and family-friendly, with reservations encouraged at www.goatintheroadproductions.org.
Monday, May 13:
8 plays from the International School of LA
Performed by Goat in the Road, Intramural Theater, Loyola University Department of Theatre Arts & Dance, and The NOLA Project
Tuesday, May 14:
8 plays from Young Audiences Charter School – Kate Middleton & Lawrence D. Crocker campuses
Performed by Blue Light Underground Ensemble, Dancing Grounds & KM Dance Project, Goat in the Road, and Jessica Podewell from Tulane University Department of Theatre & Dance
“We are overjoyed to present these 16 student-written plays, with subject matter ranging from bad hair days to alien invasions to mischievous penguins. This event gives the New Orleans community a look inside the minds of our city’s young people to learn about their senses of humor, joys, and worries, “said co-Artistic Director Shannon Flaherty. “We are proud to have been offering Play/Write for 15 years, and have brought nearly 200 student plays to life in that time.”
These companies’ adult performers will bring the students’ words from the page to the stage, celebrating the creativity of all 300 students involved in the Play/Write program this year.
The Play/Write program is a literacy and arts program that consists of yearlong playwriting classes. Over the course of the year, each student writes eight original scripts and chooses one to expand into a full-length play. Sixteen of these plays are chosen for the Showcase. All students attend the Showcase event during a morning field trip, where they receive a formatted and professionally bound copy of their script. The free evening Showcase performance is open to the students’ families and the public.
Goat In the Road Productions is a New Orleans-based performance ensemble dedicated to the production of original and invigorating new works of theatre, dance, performance art, and educational programming. For more information, visit www.goatintheroadproductions.org.
The 2023-24 Play/Write program is made possible by the generous support of the Meraux Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Orleans Theatre Association. It is also supported by the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation, the Pavy-Deblois Foundation, the Starseed Foundation, and the New Orleans Recreation & Culture Fund. Play/Write is also made possible by a contribution from the City of New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy and a Community Arts Grant made possible by the City of New Orleans and administered by the Arts Council New Orleans, as well as by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency.
