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By Martin Wilbur
Serena Norr understands as well as anyone the impact of being able to create your own stories.
The Mount Kisco playwright and director has had works performed at a variety of theaters across the country, including locally at the White Plains Performing Arts Center and the Westchester Collaborative Theater in Ossining.
But it is also Norr’s mission to have others express themselves in their own voice as well.
Early next Monday evening, Norr launches her first-ever six-week class for adults in partnership with the Mount Kisco Arts Council. Participants will learn how to develop characters, write dialogue and establish a setting as the foundation to help them write their own play.
“I think for people who are exploring playwriting, it’s really a great way to connect with yourself and your story and your ideas, but also with other people and to really understand the human experience, how other people talk and through other people’s stories,” Norr said of the program’s benefits. “It’s just a great way to understand
yourself, other people.”
That afternoon, Norr, the founder of Let’s Make a Play, will also begin a nine-week playwriting workshop for students in grades 7-12 at the Tea House in Leonard Park where she partners with Women Unite. She also will be leading a nine-week workshop for children in grades 3-5 at the Collective by Jabfit on South Greeley Avenue in Chappaqua.
By the end, the workshop members will have their work performed as part of a fully-staged production done by actors or each other for the final session.
“It’s so beautiful to see everyone come together,” said Norr. “Everyone has so many different ideas, which is so cool. We’re really learning about each other, their styles, about what they care about and just helping them get there.”
Although Norr was always interested in dialogue and had a strong imagination, she thought that maybe she would pursue acting while studying English and theater at Hunter College. However, she fell in love with plays and developing dialogue.
It opened Norr to a different style of writing and she has thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I love telling stories through other characters and having a way for them to speak,” she said. “So as all of these characters are coming out of you and it’s all one process, but you’re shaping so many different ideas through all these different characters, and I love that.”
The idea for creating playwriting workshops was devised out of the COVID-19 shutdown. Norr was connecting with people virtually while trying to produce shows virtually. Last fall, she began offering workshops for kids.
While the classes for the different age groups cover similar ground, she tailors the workshops so they are appropriate for each. For example, typically adults who participate have a deeper thinking mindset than their younger counterparts, Norr said.
Over the summer, she also held a one-week playwriting camp for children at the Beacon Performing Arts Center, so Norr stays busy.
For anyone to try the classes, there is no theater background required.
“We really go slow and go through all the things, so not to be intimidated by that because everyone is pretty much at the same level, even if you took theater years and years ago,” Norr said.
For the Monday evening adult class, there were still several openings as of late last week. The sessions convene from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Mount Kisco Arts Council space at 175 Main St. in Mount Kisco. The six-week class costs $125. Those interested in signing up can visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monday-playwriting-lab-tickets-3930871733.
The teen class runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays for nine weeks and costs $300. Registration can be completed at www.wmnunite.org/upcomingevents.
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