Amherst student director talks about helping teens

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Courtesy photo by Rick Lopez Aly McKnight

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IF YOU GO

One Act Playwriting Festival

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 12, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13.

WHERE: Amato Center for the Performing Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford.

COST: $5.

MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.svbgc.org.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of three interviews with the winning student writers and directors of the Riverbend School of Theater Arts fifth annual One Act Playwriting Workshop and Festival. The theme for this year’s competition was Making the World a Better Place.

Aly McKnight, 16, is from Amherst and is a junior at Souhegan High School.

Question: How did you come to participate in the contest?

Answer: I have been involved with theater at the Boys & Girls Club through the Riverbend Youth Company and Riverbend School of Theater Arts since I was 12. I participated in the One Act Play Festival last year, as well. Two of my friends and I wrote and directed one of the plays, and I perfomed in all three.

Q: Were you surprised to win?

A: I was very enthusiastic about winning! Being able to write and direct a play is an amazing opportunity; one that I am very pleased to have!

Q: What is the name of your play?

A: “Someone to Be There.”

Q: What is your play about?

A: My play is a series of stories from the perspective of six teenagers, each of whom has a different personality, social situation in high school and way of interacting with others. Each character has a problem that they have quite a bit of trouble working their way through individually. However, when the characters begin to discuss their problems with each other, they realize that it’s a lot easier to get through a tough situation when you have someone there to understand what you’re going through. The play encourages teens to listen to each other, accept each other and help each other out. It also encourages them to talk to someone if they have a problem, rather than keeping things bottled up. My hope is that the themes of the play will not only be meaningful to other teens, but that they will be understood by audiences in a range of ages.

Q: What gave you the idea for this play?

A: I did a school project last year as a sophomore called “Power of One.” For the project, I had to research an issue in society and create an action plan to help combat that issue in some way. I chose to research the issue of low self-esteem in teenagers and how the effects of low self-esteem can even lead to negative circumstances such as depression, drug and alcohol abuse and eating disorders. For my action plan, I decided to mix two things I know about and am interested in (writing and theater), and write and direct a play to raise awareness about the issue of low self-esteem in teens. I drew inspiration from things I had seen happen to other teenagers, as well as my own experience. A shorter version of the play was performed for the freshman and sophomores at my school in May, but the play I submitted for the One Act Play Festival is an extended version of it. I added a new character and added parts where the characters interact with each other. I’m a big believer in the “pay it forward” mentality of making others feel good about themselves, but I see situations every day when people have the opportunity to do so, and they don’t. I want to raise awareness about these situations, and let others know that it’s okay to stand up for someone, listen to someone or be friends with someone, no matter who they are. I also want to let people know that it’s okay to be yourself! That’s a message that teenagers cannot hear enough.

Q: How was your first experience directing?

A: I’ve had a great time directing. I absolutely love seeing my writing come alive on stage. The six actors in my play have done such a fantastic job of capturing the emotion and the themes of the play. I’ve learned so much about how to convey what I want things to look like on stage. I’ve also gained so much appreciation for how hard directors have to work. It’s definitely a new way to look at theater. We’ve had such a good time working on this play, and it’s great for me to see the way the cast has bonded and gotten to know each other. I may have written the play, but they are the heart and soul of it, and I am incredibly excited to watch them perform.

Q: Was there anything that surprised you about this experience?

A: I’ve definitely been surprised by the amount of positive feedback I’ve gotten from the people who’ve read and seen the play performed. It’s so great to know that people can relate to and learn from the words I’ve written. It means a lot to me that a piece of writing I’ve created can affect other people. Another thing that I’ve found to be very rewarding is when the cast looks at the play from a different perspective than I originally had written it. They’ve added so many awesome things to the play that I never would’ve thought of on my own. We are so fortunate to have such an amazing group!

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I love participating in theater on and off the stage. I also enjoy spending time at the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley (it’s my absolute favorite place in the world!), writing, running and spending time with my friends.

Q: What are your future goals?

A: I plan to go to college following my senior year of high school. After college, I am not sure what exactly I will do for a career yet, but I know it will most likely involve liberal arts and communications. I love working with people, and I know that whatever career I have will involve spending time with others. I also love to write, and I can definitely see myself in a career involving that as well.