Change of Direction: Young Playwrights' Theater

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IF YOU HAPPENED upon 35-year-old Ricardo Evans stomping on the floor, you might think he's a grown man throwing a tantrum. The scene becomes even more peculiar if you spot Nora Spellane, 15, looking on and taking notes.

But this is no maturity mix-up. Evans was just loosening imaginary jammed doors in Spellane's play, "The Elevator."

Spellane, a Woodrow Wilson Senior High School freshman, is one of eight writers, ranging from elementary school students to teenagers, participating in the Young Playwrights' Theater's New Play Festival (April 6-8, 7 p.m.). The free two-hour show at the GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St. NW, 202-387-9173) includes plays such as Spellane's, in which two men with diverging worldviews get stuck in the confined space between floors, and "A Dedicated Gardner," a whimsical tale written by Israel Nunez — a ninth-grader — in which a tulip-loving bag lady is pushed to frightening limits.

Each play lasts about 10 minutes, and the slate of performances add up to an captivating mix. But what the audience sees is only a sliver of what local students dream up.

Since Young Playwrights' Theater, or YPT, was founded in 1995 by area playwright Karen Zacarias, the Columbia Heights nonprofit has been instrumental in bringing playwriting into classrooms.

YPT's in-school program works with nine schools for a 12-week period, during which students work with their teacher and a YPT teaching artist to learn the ins and outs of playwriting. A bonus: Every student who completes a script gets to see his or her work performed by professional actors who stop by the classroom.

The best are picked for the annual festival. This year's selections were chosen from 530 student scripts.

"Our mission is to activate student learning by providing this different outlet," said Elizabeth Andrews, YPT's community engagement manager. In other words: Learning needn't feel like drudgery.

That's definitely not the case at this Saturday rehearsal. Here, the scene is bursting with optimistic energy from authors and performers alike.

Actor Fernando Romero, 28, shares the excitement. A YPT regular since 2006, his first contact with the group came when he was a senior at Bell Multicultural High School in 1999. When he enrolled at Antioch College, he majored in theater. He said he still finds satisfaction in helping young authors fulfill their dreams.

"One thing I love about it is, when we get here, everything is new," he said. "I don't know what I'm going to be. Whether I'm an animal, a vegetable. Broccolinni? Skunk?"

Spellane says directing her play from page to stage is thrilling.

"I like the control," she said with a smile. "Like puppets on strings."

Photo courtesy Liz Lynch