CLASS PROJECT

CLASS PROJECT premiered as part of The Group Rep’s production of UNHIDDEN FIGURES, a virtual play festival of new short plays celebrating African-American women from all walks of life in honor of Black History Month and Women’s History Month.

Admission to this presentation is FREE, but — as always — donations are gratefully accepted to support our year-round programming and our new streaming platform. Scroll down to view.



SKU: 2021-Unhidden-Figures-Class-Project Category:

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As part of Group Rep’s virtual festival, UNHIDDEN FIGURES, we proudly highlight “Class Project” now available to stream on demand.

Class Project by Craig Holland, directed by Heidi Mendez Harrison, performed by Karole Bennett and Michele Schultz.  2020. A persistent high school English teacher strives to understand why her star student is struggling with her assignments.

From the author, Craig Holland:

I chose to spotlight the life and works of Gwendolyn Brooks because she was an inspiration to so many. At the very young age of 32, she earned the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1950. She had a knack for storytelling through her relatable characters. She revealed cultural elements of the world around her and brought them to a national stage.

Rather than make Gwendolyn a character in my play, I focused on Kaylee, a struggling teenager who is about the age that Gwendolyn was when she started writing poetry. Kaylee’s teacher, Ms. Hansen, sensing that Kaylee is drifting, uses Gwendolyn’s poetry and legacy to inspire her and bring her out of her funk.  I also wanted to provide a boost to poetry as an art form, which I feel is underrated and often forgotten.

Craig Holland Bio:
Craig is honored to have his play Class Project selected as part of the Unhidden Figures festival of shorts. Previous productions at Group Rep Theatre include A Cheesy Christmas, selected for GRT’s Holiday Traditions & Trappings, and Phubbing for the BWW award winning festival of shorts Nine Winning One Acts. Additionally, Craig’s comedy LOL was selected for the OC-Centric New Works Festival.  In 2019, Craig’s full-length romantic comedy Love Is A Crocodile was produced by the Misfits Theatre Company.