The Manton Avenue Project (MAP) will present four performances of “Olneyville, The Operetta!” at the AS220 Black Box Theater starting this Thursday, November 30. I’m going to let Matthew Lawrence of The Law & Order Party explain this one:
Newcomers to town might find it odd that this season’s most hotly anticipated new play was written by a team of fifth graders. That’s the magic of Manton Avenue Project, though: students learn playwriting and then watch professional adult actors perform their work. . . .
Students were given a walking tour of their neighborhood by local history expert Sarah Zurier, and the kids worked on the music with both Girls Rock RI and Verdant Vibes. A whole team of adult actors, musicians, and crew members will bring the show to life.
You read that correctly, in MAP performances — not just this one — adult actors perform plays written by fifth graders.
Olneyville, The Operetta! is the culminating performance of The Manton Avenue Project’s TAG TEAM program, an after-school playwriting course held at MAP’s Clubhouse in Olneyville. Ten 5th grade playwrights will collaborate on a play about their neighborhood, community building and social history.
This show runs from November 30 through December 3.
Performance times: 7pm, Thursday & Friday/2pm, Saturday & Sunday.
Pay what you can, November 30-December 3, Black Box Theater, AS220, 95 Empire Street, (directions)