“Visions and Voices” Opens in Pleasantville

This Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 12pm and 3pm, Arc Stages will be presenting a wonderful family-friendly show, Visions and Voices! These performances are a culmination of its playwriting festival, partnering with multiple area schools.

Arc Stages is a multifaceted arts organization in Pleasantville, New York, which is composed of three theatre companies under one roof:

• The Next Stage is a professional theatre company that endeavors to produce high-quality contemporary theatre as well as new works, cabaret, workshops and staged readings.
• The Community Stage is a community theatre company for actors, singers and technicians from all walks of life that offers the best in American musicals and dramas.
• The Educational Stage is an educational theatre company where students of all ages (youth and adult) can explore the world of theatre through a professional rehearsal process, master classes, outreach and intensive ensemble work.

The Educational Stage’s Visions and Voices Playwriting Festival is a program created to promote literacy and writing skills, as well as a love for the theatre. The festival began in 2015 as a partnership with Bedford Road School in Pleasantville and has included partnerships with Pocantico School & Chappaqua’s Grafflin School, this year welcoming Bedford Hills Elementary, Thomas Cornell Academy, Pleasantville Middle School & Temple Beth El Religious School!

The goal of Visions and Voices is to introduce students to the world of the stage and self-expression, as well as to excite and inspire them to write plays. This program helps develop creativity and literacy competencies and also supports the common core through the integration of our workshops and exercises with public schools’ ELA curriculum map.

The project engages with students and teachers over the course of several months. During multiple visits with Arc Stages Teaching Artists, students are engaged on their feet in theatre games and acting exercises; introduced to the essential concepts of playwriting structure: character, setting, conflict & theme; and taught how to write and revise short plays.

This year, there were 110 Elementary School plays submitted from students at Bedford Road School in Pleasantville, Pocantico Hills School, and Bedford Hills Elementary School. Arc Stages received over 160 Middle School plays, from students at Pleasantville Middle School, Pocantico Hills, and Thomas Cornell Academy in Yonkers. All students who submitted a play received an award! Their courage to create and share their work is celebrated.

In March, students visited Arc Stages to view the final performance of selected plays. The show was performed by professional actors at Arc, with a talk-back following. The incredible vision and intelligence of these students is evident in their wonderful writing, and in the fun show that results. On March 18, Westchester County Legislator Margaret Cunzio presented the selected playwrights with their awards, during a special performance just for the students and their families.

Arc Stages looks forward to continuing to grow this wonderful program, adding more students and schools to its partnerships!

Tickets for the Visions and Voices Festival performances are available at arcstages.org.

Arc Stages’ Voices and Visions program received an ArtsWestchester Project Support grant for 2018-19.

Galit Sperling works as the Director of Education at Arc Stages, a theatre company in Pleasantville, NY. Arc Stages can be followed on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter, @arcstages, www.arcstages.org. Galit can be reached at galit@arcstages.org.