written by the students of Charlottesville High School
This is one of the most experimental of all the STAR projects. The assignment at Charlottesville High School was nick-named “Mission Impossible.” Why? Because Mara proposed doing a FULL SEMESTER IN ONE HOUR! Did she succeed? Yes!
Students of Drama chair David Small prepared homework (e-mailed in advance by Mara) and jumped in with both feet. In Charlottesville as a speaker at the Virginia Festival of the Book, Mara asked students to choose a disturbing topic in the news as a theme for their show. The students chose SCHOOL SHOOTINGS.
Mara asked the group to divide into two: one group would be characters at the school, the other would be a TV Network. Purl, Small and the students came up with a terrific structure which students performed as an improv.
The show – tentatively titled Motives for Mayhem – was SUPERB! It was recorded LIVE in the Charlottesville High School auditorium.
Mara Purl and STAR co-teacher David Small,
Chair of Drama at
Charlottesville High School,
creating the improv scripts with their students
for
“Motives for Mayhem.”