ADD VERB PRODUCTIONS CALLS YOUTH WRITERS TO ACTION

PORTLAND, Maine —Sept. 14, 2009 — The Telling Room and Add Verb Productions are teaming up this fall to work with students on a project that has national attention. “Proud to be an Ally: Playwriting for Queer and Allied Youth Activism” will teach students to create original performance pieces to address how allies can make schools and communities safe and caring.

Workshops are for ages 14-24, October 15, 29, and November 5, 12, 19 from 3-5 PM.

According to the most recent School Climate Survey, nearly 45 percent of students reported being physically harassed, while 22 percent reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

“The urgent need for a community dialogue about these issues is ever-present,” says Cathy Plourde, playwright and executive director of Add Verb Productions. “We are excited to partner with The Telling Room, a wonderful organization dedicated to engaging youth writing, to bring this cutting-edge project to more Maine students.” Plourde will facilitate the workshop process with help from Add Verb and Telling Room staff, area college students, and actors.

Post-workshop, participants may premier their work live at a Maine performance, while a written version may also be included in publication of a national anthology of performance pieces on cultivating allies in schools and on campuses. The anthology is slated for publication in Fall 2010.

Earlier workshop submissions have been shown at the 2008 Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s National Summit in Portland, ME. Additionally, the project has appeared on MTV’s website, has been presented at local awareness events and fund-raisers, and most recently was featured at a national roundtable of LGBT & Allied youth theatre programs from around the country at the Association of Theatre in High Education’s 2009 conference in New York City.

About Add Verb Productions: Theatre for Health & Wellness Education

Add Verb Productions addresses health and social issues through live theatre, with the goal of building stronger, healthier communities. Add Verb’s three nationally touring plays, The Thin Line, You the Man, and Major Medical Breakthrough, address the complex issues of eating disorders, interpersonal violence, and the health care sector’s underutilized role in violence intervention, respectively. Each performance is followed by a panel discussion comprised of local advocates, counselors, and medical experts that allow audience interaction and community discussion. The productions have been presented across the country at middle schools, high schools, colleges, community centers, medical schools, military bases, and conferences.

For more information, visit www.addverbproductions.com

About The Telling Room

The Telling Room is a nonprofit writing program in Portland, Maine, dedicated to young writers and storytellers between the ages of 8 and 18. The Telling Room’s goal is simple: to meet each student’s passion for writing with equal enthusiasm, to provide role models for those looking to further their writing, and to honor the act of storytelling as a vital means of expression and community building.

For more information, visit www.tellingroom.org

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