Mars Oliver-Martinez (Class II) loves the theater. Over the past two Octobers, they played the lead role in Antigone, served as stage manager for The Academy at Ingalls, and directed multiple productions outside of school. But engaging in playwriting presents a new challenge. “I’ve done every role you can participate in at this point, whether it be performance, costumes, tech, stage management, or directing, but there hasn’t really been as much of a pocket for playwriting,” Oliver-Martinez said.
Over the past 20 years, there have only been two instances of Nobles-original plays in Vinik, the most recent being two years ago, The Academy at Ingalls, by Director of Theatre Dan Halperin. Despite the lack of opportunity and precedent for playwriting at Nobles, Oliver-Martinez didn’t wait for a pocket to open, but instead created their own by applying for an independent study with Halperin. During the first semester, this playwriting class offered Oliver-Martinez an in-depth understanding of the field. “In the first quarter, I read a book called The Art and Craft of Playwriting by Jeffrey Hatcher. I examined the works of different playwrights and pulled from plays that I’ve already read,” Oliver-Martinez said. “Halperin then assigned me weekly writing exercises, which could range from character building, writing a scene, or imitating a scene that was mentioned in the book.”
For Oliver-Martinez, playwriting is unbound by classroom walls and instead has numerous applications in the real world. “My final assignment was to write a 15 to 20-page short play, which I’ve been submitting to different contests and writing opportunities to hopefully either get scholarships or just general feedback on the piece,” they said.
As an independent study, playwriting served as an exclusive class for Oliver-Martinez. However, they noted the value of opening the class up to the wider community. “Making it more accessible and obvious that we have this class would be a really great opportunity,” Oliver-Martinez said. “Halperin wants to start opening up positions like this in the NTC as a wider, broader thing, and not just for those who know him personally or are comfortable enough to ask.”
Similar to Halperin’s hope to augment the NTC past its routine participants, Oliver-Martinez has also worked to expand their own horizons beyond in-class assignments, particularly through original projects independent from their playwriting class. “I applied a lot of the techniques that I learned from the in-class exercises and the Jeffery Hatcher book we read to a play that I was writing and producing outside of the class. I’m in charge of casting and directing it,” they said. This show will serve as the first step in Oliver-Martinez’s journey into the wider playwriting world and is their first independent project.
The arts are already a prominent force in Oliver-Martinez’s college aspirations. “I’m getting ready to start applying for [Bachelor of Fine Arts] programs …particularly for the playwriting programs,” they said. “It’s really helpful to just get work off the ground and get immediate feedback in small group spaces, which makes you just want to work to get better.”
Like any passion, playwriting serves as much more than an academic endeavor or future profession. For Oliver-Martinez, the authorship of plays is an emotional pillar. “Writing for me has always been an outlet for me to truly express how I feel in a way that feels raw and authentic, but also polished,” they said. “Having that human connection to playwriting has allowed me to feel more confident in my theatrical endeavors and more knowledgeable about the world. It’s allowed me to perceive and feel the things around me and the things happening around me with more empathy.”
Whether it be a playwriting independent study, NTC programs, or even theater outside of Nobles, Mars Oliver-Martinez has used the multifaceted nature of theater to better themself and those around them.
