Why Write Original Plays?  Imagine the heartbroken child who never gets the part they want or any part at all.  The child who is sitting in the dark auditorium watching their peers shine on stage while they are sitting off doing their homework waiting for the 5 minutes they actually get to perform.  Not a very encouraging image is it?   Now imagine the shy child, who is too soft spoken and shy to make new friends, will not raise their hand in class, and has been sent home with many letters from the teacher urging them to participate in class and group activities.  Now imagine a third scenario: A child who is always getting the lead, is amazingly talented, but is constantly held back due to focus being put on students who need the most help. 

 At ITA, we recognize all these issues and solve it by creating one simple concept: children create the characters they want to play and write their unique story! Every child is involved in the show at their own level!

How Does it Work for Such a Variety of Students? By involving students in the writing process they are encouraged to create a character they really feel comfortable with and connected to.  This is super beneficial for beginning actors as they can more easily perform a relatable character.  Advanced actors are challenged to come up with unusual characters and asked to analyze affects, behaviors, relationships, and communication with other characters.  Students who are shy are more at ease as they have control over everything they are doing.  Performers all become a part of a team, they are creating together, agreeing on a plot, costumes, set, even song lyrics!  We see great results every semester with our students.  They become more outgoing, self-assured, and discover talents they never thought they had.

 Students who have taken several semesters worth of classes become leaders, gain a lot of confidence and graduate from the program with a excessive set of skills they use at school, college, interviews and other activities.