Working backstage and onstage since sixth grade, Courtney Kessler, a 12th-grader at Bishop Blanchet High School, is taking on a new aspect of the theater - this time with a notepad in her hand.
A self-proclaimed "drama nerd," Kessler enjoys all types of theater. She has acted in productions of "Romeo and Juliet," "The Music Man" and "Feiffer's America." And, just recently, she worked backstage on costumes for her school's production of "Das Barbecue" at the Moore Theater.
Kessler is also an avid writer and works as an editor for her school's literary arts magazine, "Voices." Interested in combining both her theater and writing skills, she applied for Seattle Repertory Theatre's new education program, Emerging Critics Circle.
The program allows middle school and high school students to connect with theater through critical writing. The students also have the opportunity to grow as writers and extend their involvement in theater.
Kessler was one of nine students chosen from around the Puget Sound to participate in the pilot program. She attended a preview of "Private Lives" and returned March 8 for the opening night performance to write her first-ever theater critique. She noted that students were given an outline on how to write a review, but they were also able to write in their own style.
"I thought it would be fun to work with a different aspect [of theater]," said Kessler. "It definitely would be something interesting because I love writing, but I haven't really considered it as a profession."
With her background in both technical theater and acting, Kessler not only looked at the production as a whole, but also took note of the sets and costumes as well as the actors' character work. Prior to the performance on opening night, Kessler and the other students had an opportunity to speak with Joe Adcock, a theater critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
"I thought it was really cool because I'd never talked to someone who had worked for a paper before," said Kessler. "I was very intrigued."
Emerging Critics Circle officially begins in September, with Seattle Rep's first show of the 2006 - 2007 season.
"The critics program allows us to encourage young people to look more closely at theater and at the choices they make every day-whether artistic or not. As students become more experienced in viewing and analyzing art, they become more savvy and critical of other experiences," said Andrea Allen, director of education at Seattle Rep.
"I really like it. I thought it was fun. It was definitely something that I'd be happy to continue doing," said Kessler of the program.
She added that she would like to major in theater in college and pursue a career in theater.
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