From talking planets to sentient robots to oil rigs, there are no dull topics when it comes to the stories of students of Boston Latin School English teacher Mr. Richard Beyer’s creative writing class. Over the past two months, students have worked to craft original ten-minute plays, which have been submitted for competition in the Massachusetts Young Playwrights Project (MYPP). Out of 22 of Mr. Beyer’s students, two — Ena Nealon (I) and TJ Souabny (II) — have been chosen as winners and will have the opportunity to stage their play with professional actors at the Boston University Playwrights’ Theatre. Helena Tran-Chung (I) was a runner-up. The class also had the privilege of being mentored by Mr. Micheal Towers, a playwright and teacher from the MYPP, who provided lessons, feedback and guidance relating to their plays.
“Every year in [the] creative writing class, we do a drama unit during the third term. So, when [the MYPP] reached out to me, it was really great timing,” Mr. Beyer explains, noting that the idea of a ten-minute play made the competition feasible for students. “It sounded perfect, like something that was doable in three or four weeks, and without the minutiae of having to write multiple acts.”
Students also agree that the writing process was manageable. Souabny remarks that he felt like he had total creative freedom, and that brainstorming new ideas was not an issue, explaining, “It really just happens to pop to you.”
For many students, storytelling had previously been a pastime, but entering a competition granted them the opportunity to take their hobby to the next level. Finalist Nealon remarks on their motivation to write, saying, “This experience has definitely given me much more confidence in my writing, so I have felt more inspired to keep writing outside of class.”
The competition has even made some students consider writing as a full career. Souabny remarks on the reality of pursuing this dream: “I’ve never seen a writer become great off of extrinsic goals that have been pushed on [them]. It’s always a self-purpose that comes through in great writers.”
Both Mr. Towers and Mr. Beyer agree that there is no shortage of self-motivation or encouragement from BLS. In fact, Mr. Towers says, “The BLS kids were particularly hungry,” even commenting, “I’ve been doing this for 16 years, and I would say this was the most successful class I’ve ever visited.”
This years’ students are also overflowing with creativity. Mr. Beyer remarks on the variety of topics that the class came up with, such as “the sun and the moon having a conversation” and “an AI robot that doesn’t realize it’s AI.” A few of these plays were based on students’ own interpretation of real life struggles. Souabny’s play, for example, is about two oil riggers in Iraq.
After nearly a month of writing, hours of revision and several classes dedicated to peer review, the selected playwrights spent time discussing their ideas with professional actors from the Boston University Playwrights’ Theatre in preparation for their debuts. Upon the day of the staging of their plays, writers had a one-hour “brain dump” session with prominent directors in the community to ensure the plays reflect their artistic vision. Spotlights shined on these young wordsmiths on April 14, during the New Noise Festival at the Playwrights’ Theatre, which the creative writing class attended — a fitting reward for all their labor, love and limitless imagination.