PINE TREE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT P.O. Box 5878, Longview, TX 75608 903.295.5000 www.ptisd.org
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Playwright Visits Longview, Pine Tree ISD

March 5, 2007

Thanks to funding from Humanities Texas, the joint efforts of three organizations in Longview: ArtsView Children’s Theatre, Longview Public Library and the Pine Tree Independent School district sought to bring history alive for students in the community. 

Humanities Texas, which supports and develops public programs grounded in history, literature, philosophy, and other disciplines of the humanities, funded a project featuring Celeste Walker, professional author and playwright.

Humanities Texas, formerly the Texas Council for the Humanities, is the state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Established by the Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supports research, education, and public programs in the humanities. Humanities Texas is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, educational organization incorporated by the State of Texas in 1972. A volunteer board governs Humanities Texas; the Governor of Texas appoints five board members, and the board fills the other vacant seats through a statewide, open nominations process.

Celeste Bedford Walker is an award-winning playwright whose works have been performed in major venues across the country including, the Kennedy Center, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as well as in France and Iraq.

She is the recipient of several honors and awards, including being selected as a finalist in the International Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a recognition given to outstanding work by female playwrights in the English speaking theater; New York's Audelco Award; and the NAACP Image Award for positive portrayal of African-Americans in the media.

According to her biographical information, Ms. Walker's plays embrace the sacred and the mundane, the serious and the comic but what they all have in common is a delight in the wisdom and witlessness of the human condition. Many of her works are based on historical periods which help the audience to understand the drama of history. She is currently writing, teaching and coaching actors and writers, both young and old alike.

Ms. Walker was in Longview March 5th – 7th to discuss the process of writing a play which involves historical research and the writing process. 

Training sessions included group sessions which study the process of examining history and personal experiences for the purpose of retelling.  Students learned how to translate these events into the dramatic presentation of a monologue, and understand how disciplines in school actually overlap in the career world. 

An opportunity for students and community members to learn from Ms. Walker was offered at a free workshop for adults and students at the City of Longview Library on Monday, March 5th from 4:30-6:00 pm. 

“Longview Public Library is pleased to partner with ArtsView Children’s Theatre and Pine Tree ISD in bringing Celeste Walker to Longview,” says Chaney Bennett, Youth Librarian for Longview Public Library.  “Her desire to help students and adults learn to research in preparation for writing will be an asset in providing this workshop.” 

Workshops were offered by the professional playwright, to students in history and theatre classes at Pine Tree Middle 7, Junior High and High School on March 6th and 7th.

“I believe that my students will be helped a great deal with this program because I also have the same students for Advanced Literature,” states Jim McGhee, Pine Tree Junior High history teacher.

“I believe that anything that has the possibility of opening doors for my students is extremely beneficial. At this time I am dealing with very intelligent students who have not been introduced to the great number of possibilities that are out there for them and this is going to allow them to see different avenues to pursue.”

Writing that evolve from these sessions may be submitted to a city-wide young playwright contest sponsored by the ArtsView Children’s Theatre.  The winners of the contest will have the honor of seeing their plays produced by ArtsView Children’s theatre summer academy session called, “You Design It.”

Several performances of the winning plays will be offered to the general public during their Summer Academy on June 29th , 30th and July 1st at ArtsView Children’s Theatre.