Drama starting from scratch

Students have a week to write a play, find costumes, memorize lines

MOSES LAKE — When students began preparing for the play on Monday there was no story line.

No costumes.

No characters.

All of that is being created this week by nine students performing a play Friday, directed by drama specialist Tina Laplant from the Seattle area.

The play is being put on as part of a weeklong summer camp with the help of Laplant, in conjunction with the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center and the Columbia Basin Allied Arts.

Starting from scratch is part of the fun for students like 15-year-old Walter Leitz of Royal City, who is back for his third year.

"It's pretty fun but hard," Leitz said of the five day camp he first began coming to as a fifth-grader.

Monday, Leitz, who plays Black Beard, and the eight other students began brainstorming what type of a play they wanted to write.

A pirate theme was chosen.

The second day was devoted to breaking up into groups and writing the story line. Wednesday students planned to write the dialogue, with the final script expected to be 10 pages when finished.

In between all that, lines have to be memorized and costumes found.

"It works well because the ownership and investment is so much higher," Laplant said of having students create the entire play from scratch.

Ten-year-old Angelina Polito plays the part of the bad pirate Zheng Yi Sao, a female pirate from the Asiatic.

As to what her character's costume will look like Polito responded "probably a lot of black."

Laplant describes the play as a dramatization of historical events surrounding pirates.

Students have also explored some of the myths commonly believed about pirates.

There have been female pirates and pirates still exist today, in one form or another, working for governments to cease land and other forms of wealth, Laplant said.

This marks the fourth year Laplant has offered a summer drama camp in Moses Lake.

It was while viewing of one of Laplant's plays on Mercer Island when MAC manager Terry Mulkey saw her work for the first time.

Ensuing discussions resulted in Laplant bringing her drama expertise to the Basin.

Twelve-year-old Benjamin Shoemake plays the part of two characters in Friday's play. This is his third year participating as well.

Shoemake said what he enjoys most about the drama camp is that "we don't just get a script and everyone works together."

The play debuts June 30 at 4 p.m. inside the Learning Center in Moses Lake. There is no cost to attend the play.