Actors to Teach at Key Middle

Middle school is always a dramatic time, but it's about to get a little more so for students at Key Middle School. That's because the school, along with two others in Fairfax County, has received a grant to work with professional actors from Washington's Arena Stage.

After the program launches later this month or early in October, actors will teach students at Key about improvisation and other aspects of drama. In the winter and spring, the students will write and produce a play, with the help of Arena Stage's actors.

"It's a great interaction," said Mark Emery, administrator of Fairfax County Public School's Office of After-School Programs.

FCPS became interested in working with Arena Stage after hearing about the theater's Voices of Now series, which teaches students about drama. FCPS then applied for and received a $35,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts intended for drama education.

Emery hopes the program will attract students who aren't typically drawn to drama, and those whose writing or acting skills need improvement.

Because of the long wait between when a grant application must be filed and when money is distributed, FCPS has not applied for a grant to run the program during the 2011-2012 school year. According to Emery, however, he expects FCPS to apply for another grant for 2012-2013.

"I have no doubts that this is going to be crazily successful," he said.