Young Playwrights Festival Winner H'Vyn Jones

YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL 2012-2013: Messmer High School graduate H'vyn Jones is one of our three winning playwrights! Her one-act play, JUST ANOTHER DAY IN DENTURES, will presented at each performance, March 21-24, 2013.

Playwright H'Vyn Jones

 

What is it like to have your work recognized and produced by a professional theatre company like Milwaukee Chamber Theatre? 

Having my work recognized and produced by a professional theater company like Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is remarkable! Through this experience I realized that I have real talent in writing, and I am honored that Milwaukee Chamber Theatre gave me the opportunity to strengthen my talent.

Have you worked at all with the director/cast to edit the script?  If so, what was this process like? 

The director and I got a chance to edit and revise the script together, and whenever she had a suggestion she would let me know. This made me feel like I was really a part of the process even though I could not physically be with the cast to make those changes.

Just Another Day in Dentures deals with a family finding connections previously thought not practical or possible.  What inspired you to write a play like this? 

My play Just Another Day in Dentures started off as an English assignment in my junior year of high school. I was not sure what to write, but I knew I wanted to write about something different and out-of-the-box. I talked it over with my family, and it took a few days for me to finalize my topic, but once I did all my creativity started flowing out of me. I have a really strong relationship with all of my grandparents, and I understand that not everyone has that, so I wanted to really capture that relationship and make it into a play.

  

What do you want the audience to take away or learn from watching this play?

I want the audience to realize that the elders in our lives have a lot to offer us and we should show our appreciation more often. I think the younger generation today sometimes forgets to do that.

  

Is playwriting something you are considering as a career path?

Although I have not considered playwriting as a career, I have considered acting as a career because I have always enjoyed drama and the theater.

Thanks H'vyn! Don't miss the YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL, March 21-24, 2013.

My Experience in Collaborating with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre

As a collaborative participant in William Inge's Bus Stop, serving as Assistant Director and Understudy to Bo, I can wholeheartedly compare this experience to the adventure of a lifetime! As you may know, Bus Stop is a collaborative project between the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. Having the opportunity to observe, analyze, and join in on the magic that happens behind the scenes has been both an extreme pleasure and insightfully invaluable learning experience. From the rehearsal hall to the Cabot Theater stage, we have shared sentimental moments, boisterous periods of laughter, and exciting days of innovative discovery. Each and every day contained a fresh, new kind of energy, which motivated the actors to find something new and appealing to incorporate into their individual characters!

The behind-the-scenes process has been nothing short of an imaginative thrill-ride! Each artist involved demonstrated their sense of establishment, creative ingenuity, and full-fledged professionalism!

In working with Chamber professionals, I have observed Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's mission in practice. Sitting in on rehearsals, I have analyzed the artistic excellence and literary empowerment Chamber installs within its practitioners. Intriguing still, MCT's mission to its artists compliments that of UW-Parkside's mission and dedication to its theatre students, which deems this partnership a match made in heaven! Furthermore, the amount of passion, dedication, and commitment each individual has contributed to this project has been incredible! Together, each collaborating cast and crew member has entrusted this project with a vast amount of creative power and ingenuity. The passionate energy, combined with the acting power and love for the Theatre from each involved participant, has been a pleasure to witness, and will produce an explosive product on stage!

~Bobby Johnson