THE GATEWAY PROJECT
The Gateway Project is a joint venture of The Chester Theatre Company and the Gateway Regional Middle School. Based on the renowned 52nd Street Project in New York, this innovative program brings children of the Gateway Middle School together with professional theatre artists to create plays that will be presented to the general public.The playwrights who participate in the program take an eight week playwriting course adapted from Daniel Judah Sklar’s Playmaking: Children Writing and Performing Their Own Plays. During the class sessions, the playwrights learn the elements of drama and write their first play.
At the end of the course, each playwright is matched with a professional dramaturg/director, and two actors. The company is given a theme by the Artistic Director, and the dramaturg/director guides the playwright through the creation of the play during a weekend retreat.
Each student's final play is then produced by professional designers, actors and directors, and performed before the public.
Some feedback from our young playwrights
"It was an unbelievable experience. It was one of my dreams to create something and have it come to life. It was perfect.""Writing the play really opened my imagination. When I pictured it in my mind it was like cartoons, but when I saw it for real, the voices were perfect as I saw it in my mind. It was really exciting to see my play performed."
"It was really cool to work with professional actors, and amazing to see how it all comes together to create the final product."
