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What a Riot: Kaz Tarshis

I think this text is really brilliant. I love the constant breaking of the fourth wall and the way that the audience gets to be fully informed about what this play is. It's almost like a combination news article and greek play. I particularly enjoy the use of the chorus and I think it's a great way to make sure that all of the kids could feel like they had a voice. I think the way that Schultzman went about connecting with the kids in finding people from history that interested them, was a really smart way to create a dialogue about something that they could feel passionate about. I do wonder if there' s a way to take this same technique where you explain things to the audience, but to give a little bit less away of the process. I really enjoyed that aspect while reading it and I enjoyed that the joker had such free reign, but I wonder if the effect would be the same or better with some small changes to preserve the imaginary world of the play. For example, can everyone stay in character all the time, even though those characters can step out of the story?

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