Playwrights Work with Red Cloud Students

Lunchtime play readings. Photo courtesy of Red Cloud Indian School. Copyright Red Cloud Indian School.

Playwrights Work with Red Cloud Students

By David LaDeaux '13

A few weeks ago RCHS student playwrights read their original plays during lunch in collaboration with professional writers. Students worked with the professional playwrights in developing their own creative plays.

The Alaskan Native Heritage Center came all the way to South Dakota to do a project with Red Cloud called the Pine Ridge Playwrights Project. The students even traveled to the Dahl Fine Arts Center in Rapid City to read their plays with the help of the pros. “I thought it was a fun time. It good for getting us out of our shells,” said Wanbli Hamilton ‘13, who participated in the project.

11th grade English teacher Ashley Boone worked with the students and playwrights on this project. Students who participated included freshmen Bella New Holy and Jacob Cousin, sophomore Hoksila Briseno, juniors Jaycherie Little, Odessa Starr, and William Belt, and senior Wanbli Gleska Hamilton.

The playwrights included Larissa Fast Horse (Rosebud Sicangu) and Darrell Dennis (Shuswap), who have helped the students on their trips to Red Cloud. Odessa Starr was the lucky student writer who was invited to go to Los Angeles this summer to work more with the playwriting project.

For more information, read the story on Red Cloud's website.  

Check out the following videos of the students' performances, courtesy of Ashley Boone: