Katy ISD Announces Wood Group, Alley Theatre, Morton Ranch High School Collaborative

From Katy ISD Partner in Education:
This school year’s beginning marks the inauguration of a unique, highly interactive Katy ISD partnership between Wood Group, Alley Theatre and Morton Ranch High School. Initiated by Wood Group’s chief financial officer, Alan Semple, the partnership supports a year-long residency program between the Morton Ranch High School theatre department and Houston’s Alley Theatre Company.

A feature of the partnership is Playwriting 360°, a multi-curriculum project combining the school’s creative writing instruction with its theatre classes. Students will write and perform a 10 minute play as instructed, directed and critiqued by Alley artists-in-residence. Ultimately, one play and playwright will be included in the Alley’s spring Houston Young Playwrights Exchange (HYPE) showcase presented at the theatre.

The Alley’s School Programs Manager Rob Kimbro observes, “Developing new works and supporting new playwrights is an important part of the mission of the Alley Theatre. For more than a decade, the Houston Young Playwrights Exchange has given teen playwrights an opportunity to develop their work and see it presented on stage. We’re very excited to bring Playwriting 360°, the classroom component of HYPE, to Morton Ranch this year. We know these students have wonderful stories to tell.”

Other partnership features include theatre workshops with Alley artists-in-residence, pre-performance workshops and a trip to the Alley for its Our Town performance, technical theatre workshops, participation in the Alley’s annual career day, and backstage tours.

The high school’s participation will be coordinated by Theatre Director Pam Wilson, who states, “The MRHS Theatre Department is proud to be a part of the Alley Theatre Partnership for 2009-2010. This will not only give our students a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with an award winning Regional Theatre, but also will expose them to wonderful theatre experiences on the stage and behind the scenes. Our school and our students are looking forward to the coming weeks.”

The collaboration marks the first venture between Katy ISD and the Alley Theatre and brings one of the more unique partnerships ever presented to a Katy ISD campus. District support for the venture is offered by Katy ISD Partners in Education, the department that brings the community into the classroom.