Written By Josie Gulliksen
Originally published on artburstmiami.com.
For more than two decades, theater students at New World School of the Arts College have created 15-minute plays as part of their thesis.
This year, audiences will see the 11 original short plays presented over two days in The One Festival, happening Wednesday, Dec. 11 and Thursday, Dec. 12 at Miami Dade College’s Koubek Center in Little Havana.
“New World gives students a chance to learn and do something on their own so they may have an original work to take out into the world,” says Andie Arthur, the playwrighting professor who is helping to bring the works of these college seniors to the stage. Arthur is also executive director of The South Florida Theatre League and co-founding artistic director of Lost Girls Theatre.
What audiences experience at the Koubek Center this year could very well become a full-length play that becomes part of a national festival, according to Arthur. “(Former) students have expanded on their short plays and those have made it into the San Francisco and Orlando Fringe Festivals, to name but a few.”
Arthur teaches the students for a full year, beginning with a semester of playwriting followed by one where they are devoted to working on their piece, with the final grade coming after The One Festival show.
The students truly show courage and maturity, presenting very personal monologues and oftentimes playing multiple characters while on stage, says Arthur.
During two semesters, the professor watches as they develop and enhance their theater skills “particularly their sense of comedic timing,” she says. “This year’s pieces are really funny, funnier than past years.”
Although they are comedic, the works still come from a deeply personal place and explore themes of depression and anxiety but somehow, the students manage to present them in unique and humorous ways.
One student uses an alien in their piece to convey depression and another, werewolves to represent anxiety. “The students really flexed their creativity this year,” says Arthur.
In another piece, the student composed music to serve as other people’s voices during the performance, an effort Arthur says, “was very involved; they put lots of effort into that one.”
Here are this year’s playwright students and their 15-minute plays:
Night One
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Brandon Serret, “The Spiraling Thoughts of an Anxious Mind”
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Fabiola Suarez, “SMILEY”
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Muriel Morales, “La entremedia”
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Katerina Duque, “I Confess”
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River Iraida Estrada, “The Duality Of”
Night Two
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Cherry “Fufu” Rivera, “The Howl of Grief”
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Sundari Davis, “Sunny”
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Eric Gospodinoff, “How Do You Live?”
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Luis Penaherrera, “My Name”
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Arielle Arciniega, “Viva La Flor”
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Matthew Ferro, “There’s this disease, it’s called Solineation-Titus…”
During the playwriting course, students learn to write short plays with multiple characters “because jumping into writing just a monologue is much harder,” according to Arthur. “Some of them flounder a bit so I’m there go guide them and help them find the story they want to tell.”
She assures them that first drafts are always rough, which helps relieve the pressure they put on themselves. Arthur is there to help them overcome their perfectionism, learn to relax, and give themselves some breathing room to work through it all so they really shine.
They then move on to the monologue writing process where the students are guided by faculty advisors who go more in depth with them and give them more individualized attention.
This becomes the first work in their portfolio as they pursue their craft. In addition to playwriting, the students are directing themselves, choosing the lighting design and the furniture and sets on stage.
“We are giving them the tools to be able to create a full production on their own using all they’ve learned here at New World,” says Arthur. “I am extremely proud of these students; they are inventive, and I loved spending time with them in their process. I am very excited to see where these shows go next.”
WHAT: The One Festival
WHERE: Miami Dade College Koubek Memorial Center, 2705 SW 3 St., Miami
WHEN: Program 1: Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 4:30 p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.; Program 2: Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 12 at 4:30 p.m.
COST: Free
INFORMATION: (305) 237-3541 or nwsa.mdc.edu/
