LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — More than three dozen aspiring performers are sharpening their theatrical skills this week during the "Made for the Stage" Youth Workshop, where students are learning every aspect of creating and performing original works.
During Tuesday's session, participants heard from professional playwright Stacey Lane, who shared her approach to turning ideas into stories by focusing on the "W's" of storytelling — the why, who, when, what and where.
Lane encouraged students to break down the writing process into manageable pieces, saying everyone has a story worth telling.
"When you start a story, it can be kind of overwhelming to stare at a blank page. So if you pick one of those areas to start on, whether you're starting with the who, your characters, or the where, your setting, then it helps get the other ideas rolling to tell your story," Lane said.
This year's workshop also features a new milestone. Two plays written by students during last year's program have been revised and will be performed by this year's participants.
"One of my favorite new additions is 2 of the plays that two of our students wrote last year are getting performed by our students this year. So they edited them and reworked them and really practiced the idea of what a playwright would really have to do to get their play published," said Madison Downing, artistic director and creator of "Made for the Stage."
The student performance is scheduled for Friday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Encore Theatre. Admission is free and open to the public, with doors opening at 6 p.m.
Sponsored by the Lima Salvation Army, this year's workshop has 36 students enrolled, making it the largest group Downing has welcomed since the program began.
