Thanks to the Alliance Theatre, rigor in the arts is alive and well during the summer. Every year the theatre invites twenty talented, high school students from around metro Atlanta to participate in the Palefsky Collision Project. This program provides a rich environment where students are given the opportunity to “collide” with theatre through the exploration of a classic text. Using this text, students synthesize information, evaluate its themes and collaborate with their peers to create and perform an authentic theatrical piece inspired by the selected content.

This year’s theatrical performance was inspired by Lawrence & Lee’s Inherit the Wind, a 1950s play about the trial of a teacher who violated Tennessee law by teaching his high school science class about Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Students evaluated how central themes in the play such as intellectual freedom, tolerance and the role of religion manifest themselves today.

Then, with the help of the dynamic Pearl Cleage, the Alliance Theatre’s Playwright in Residence and Director Patrick McColery, students underwent intense weeks of writing, improvisational exercises, choreography and more to create a one of a kind, contemporary, theatrical performance. Students also worked with other well-known performance artists including writer and artist Zaron W. Burnett, Jr. and singer/songwriter Doria Roberts. To learn more about the project and its significant impact on its participants, check out the video below.  

With backgrounds that range from dance to technology, these talented students will showcase their hard work on the Alliance Theatre’s Hertz stage Friday, July 10 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 11 at 2:30 p.m. If you would like to reserve tickets for this dynamic event, visit the Alliance Theatre’s website by clicking here.