Last May, you may have noticed colorful mini posters inviting you to be a dramatist. The result? After a successful summer performance, an army equipped with purple sweaters stormed the hallways.

On Aug. 10, a non-profit youth theater group performed a series of original plays and monologues, written, produced directed entirely by students.

Youth for Asian Theater, a citywide teen theater company, uses the stage to promote pride in Asian heritage and awareness of youth issues. It offers high school students the opportunity to express themselves through acting, playwriting and directing. “YFAT has given me the opportunity to do what I love, which is to assist stage productions technically,” stage manager senior Marvin Huang said.

Smells Like a Rat, YFAT’s 10th annual summer performance at the Herbst Theatre, included seven short plays.

Due to the lack of technical crew members, the stagehands had to work at a faster pace than usual, according to Huang. “This year’s production was one of the longer ones compared to past seasons, but the actors and technical crew kept up the energy and concentration,” he said. The cast and technical crew is made up of 35 members from four different high schools.

YFAT is completely student-run and funded through donations and grants from organizations such as Youth Funding Youth Ideas. “This season we almost were unable to receive the grant due to the limited money supply,” program director senior Paul Mallari said. “Being a non-profit organization, our finances are probably the most difficult part. Other groups such as SF Parks Trust and the Herbst Theatre support YFAT by providing rehearsal and stage space.

A common motif of deception occurs in all the plays in Smells Like a Rat, according to Mallari. “When choosing which to use we consider aspects such as technical demands, quality of writing and whether our current cast can fit the roles,” Mallari said. “We try to choose plays that represent certain themes, such as the difficulties that Asian American youth face.”

One of this year’s most popular plays, “Fantastic Elastic,” paid tribute to Korean pop. “‘Fantastic Elastic’ was a lot of fun and right from the start, it proved difficult to pull off due to all the dance numbers, extra rehearsals and technical requirements,” Mallari said. “It was my favorite because of the amount of time, dedication and work that went into that play.”

The play tells the story of how Korean boy band SHINee foils SM Entertainment’s evil plans to monopolize the cola market. Actor senior Alex Zhu played Jong-Huyn, a member of SHINee. “In the beginning I had trouble being in sync with the other members and the rehearsals were long,” Zhu said. “But I learned a lot from my director and I improved my acting abilities.”

Despite the difficulty of the play, it received positive remarks from other cast members, as well as the audience. “I had a hard time keeping a straight face on during rehearsals because it was so funny,” YFAT member senior Kim Do said. “My favorite scene is in the beginning, when the members of SHINee use their fantastic dance moves to fight crime.”

Do, who wrote and directed her first play, “Anything On Your Mind,” said she learned a great deal from YFAT about theater production. “Since it was my first time, it felt strange to be responsible for so many people on a project so large,” Do said. “I was nervous but my cast was responsive and supportive and I couldn’t have been happier with the actual performance.”

YFAT was founded in 2001 by executive director Lauren D. Yee, according to the organization’s Web site (www.yfat.org). Since then, YFAT has involved hundreds of students in theater and entertained and reached over 1,000 audience members through its shows. “YFAT really helped my communication and leadership skills,” senior publicity manager Kim Do said. “It gave me a chance to do something I’ve never done in school before.”

Besides learning about theater, YFAT members also developed close relationships after the eight weeks of rehearsal. “It’s amazing how close everyone is,” Do said. “It’s like the cast is a second family.”

This article first appeared in the September 10, 2010 issue of The Lowell.