Arrive, Breathe & Be Still

In this collection by thirty-five students at Downtown High School in San Francisco, the young writers explore the themes of resistance and resilience through their original monologues and plays. After a semester of working intensely with actors at American Conservatory Theater and writing tutors from 826 Valencia, the students produced this powerful look into the realities of high school life, the pressures surrounding young people, and the strength it takes to keep going. Perfect for reading or performing, these pieces are a refreshing tool for using theater in the classroom or outside of it.

The thirty-five students who wrote these monologues and plays attend Downtown High School, a continuation school where students who have had trouble succeeding in their previous schools have the opportunity to complete their high school requirements and earn a diploma.

From the introduction: "We all chose to attend this school instead of dropping out or giving up, and that is just one of the ways in which we are resilient. In our acting class, like in life, sometimes we just had to get up and get over it; we had to arrive, breathe, and be still. We couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, so we stood up and told our stories."

This collection of monologues and ten-minute plays was written by thirty-five juniors and seniors at Downtown High School in San Francisco with the support of tutors from the 826 Valencia writing center. American Conservatory Theater is internationally recognized for its groundbreaking productions of classical works and bold explorations of contemporary playwriting. Foreword writer Octavio Solis is a San Francisco-based playwright of twelve produced plays, including Lyida, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and most recently Cloudlands. He has working relationships with some of the most respected theaters in the country, including American Conservatory Theater and South Coast Repertory Theater. 826 Valencia offers free tutoring to students ages 6–18 and is based in San Francisco.