"We send a letter saying, 'This is basically theater boot camp. It's not just about fun' - and they still come," said program director Raina Ames, who is director of theater education at the University of New Hampshire during the school year.

[Cassandra Medley]'s award-winning plays, which have been performed across Europe and the United States, include "A . . . My Name Is Alice," "Dearborn Heights" and "Relativity."

You don't have to have a crystal-clear idea. You have to let go of the 1-to-1 ratio of one page equals a published page. . . . The ratio is really 10-to-1 or 20-to-1. . . . That's how you get a polished work. Look at nature . . . . Trees didn't start as trees, and babies weren't born walking. Nature is a process. Then [writing] is liberating.