SOUTH-CENTRAL : Young Writers Face Social Challenges

Munching popcorn and sipping sodas, the eight youths listened intently as 16-year-old Christina Yuan read what she had scribbled on a piece of notebook paper.

The Eagle Rock teen-ager had written a dialogue based on a conversation she overheard between two young black men who apparently were buddies but were trading insults. “They were getting down on each other, but it was so funny, because they were the best of friends,� Yuan said in explanation before reading her piece aloud.

Despite that disclaimer, some of her peers in the Dream Lab playwriting workshop for inner-city high school students said they were bothered by her piece because it portrayed African-Americans in a stereotypical way.

The youths said they were particularly troubled by Yuan’s attempt to imitate the street talk and slang used by the two young men. The teen-agers suggested Yuan do more research, perhaps asking African-Americans to help her with the dialogue.

As the frank reviews came in, Yuan began to weep softly. She finally excused herself and ran to the restroom, leaving behind a room filled with awkward tension.

“This brings up some very good issues,� Doug Kaback, one of the adult directors of the workshop, said, reassuring the group. “Because this is really where we’re at as a society. How, as artists, do we respond to this social climate?�

This was the fourth meeting of the Dream Lab, a six-month program offered by the Music Center of Los Angeles County and the Playwrights Project, a nonprofit organization of playwrights who provide programs statewide for young writers. The Dream Lab was developed with a $15,000 grant from Citibank.

Based on writing samples and recommendation letters, nine students were chosen for the program from among 25 applicants who attend Los Angeles high schools.

Led by professional playwrights Kaback and Pamela Mariva Mshana, the students meet at the Music Center for 2 1/2 hours every other Saturday afternoon and learn to express themselves by each writing a play based on personal, social or community issues.

Scenes from their plays will be performed by professional actors in a May performance at the Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles.

Marysol Flores, 16, a student at Bravo Medical Magnet School in Boyle Heights, wrote a scene about a young woman who reveals to her friends at a slumber party that she had been the victim of date rape. Flores, who lives in Eagle Rock, said a real-life discussion of rape at one of her own slumber parties inspired the scene.

“A lot of girls had very different opinions, and a lot of their opinions bothered me,� she said. “Some girls think (rape) is the victim’s fault. Some (girls) are submissive to men.�

Yuan, a student at the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts on the campus of Cal State Los Angeles, said personal turmoil over racial issues was a key reason for her reaction to the critique of her work. A Chinese-American who grew up in South-Central, Yuan said in a later interview that she often feels she does not fit in. “Sometimes I feel attacked from all sides,� she said. “Being a second-generation Chinese-American, I feel there’s nothing I can hold onto. I’m not considered American. Sometimes I feel hurt by that.

“When I wrote the scene, I didn’t think of it as ‘two black guys’--I was just drawing from my own experiences.�

During the discussion that followed her reading, some students questioned whether writers can speak in a voice not their own, as Yuan sought to do. The students agreed artists should not be restricted to writing about their own experiences and cultures, but they must do ample research to bring credibility to their work.

Kaback reminded the group to be supportive of each other as they struggle with the challenges of writing. “There has to be a feeling of safety that you can express yourself,� he said.