Springwater Trail High School playwrights shine at Portland Center Stage Spring Showcase

Experience teaches students how to write more expressively, create compelling dialogue

The students in Springwater Trail’s creative writing class expanded their writing skills under the guidance of resident teaching artist Joellen Sweeney. Teacher Brandi Krause partnered with Portland Center Stage (PCS), a theater company in Portland, to coordinate Sweeney’s five -week residency. Two students, Kaya Cha and Gabriella Richards, had their plays selected for the PCS spring showcase and performed by professional actors. 

Kaya Cha hadn’t experimented with playwriting before the course. She mainly writes poetry and fiction stories. 

It was also a new experience for Gabriella Richards.  

“I’ve never really written plays before; I’ve always been more of a short story writer,” said Richards. “So it was really interesting having to write more dialogue-heavy when my stories are more descriptive.”

Sweeney helped the students explore the challenges of storytelling such as creating compelling dialogue and properly setting up the scene. 

Cha learned that if someone wishes to have their story acted out with a specific mood in mind, they must be very attentive to how they write their dialogue and storytelling so it’s conveyed in the same way as in their story.

Krause shared that the experience helped her students dig deeper and be more expressive.

“It pushed a lot of students out of their comfort zone,” explained Krause. “There were several students who I noticed had a depth that I hadn’t seen in their writing before.”

On May 27, professional actors performed all nine plays at the showcase. The two STHS plays were part of nine selected from the Multnomah County schools that participated.

“It was very entertaining and felt great to see the play performed!” said Cha. 

She was impressed that the actors portrayed the play's tone and the characters' moods just as she imagined.  

The program gave STHS students a new avenue of creation. Krause encourages teachers throughout the district to explore incorporating new experiences into their classrooms. 

“Ask people to come into your classroom, even as a guest speaker, and be open to making a space where the guest can be comfortable,” Krause shared. 

It will be exciting to see how students will use their new storytelling skills, whether or not they continue as playwrights