Even the epic scope of a Greek play, complete with lightning bolts hurled from the sky and gods taking on the forms of men, begins with a cast of players working out the kinks — as sixth-graders in West Sedona School teacher Barb Robles’ class discovered on the morning of Monday, April 13.

“Ladies and gentleman, we’re going to be doing this play in rapid time. I’ve never done this play this fast,” said Dev Ross, an instructor with the city of Sedona’s Artist in the Classroom program, which matches local artists to classrooms in need of a bit of creative direction.

In addition to authoring the script of the successful children’s movie, “The Land Before Time,” over the course of her career Ross has garnered writing credits for Disney, ABC, Fox Kids, Universal Studios, TLC, The Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon and PBS. A recipient of an Emmy Award and an Action in Children’s Television Award, she has lent her talents to the Artist in the Classroom program for two decades.

For all of her considerable experience writing, on Monday — the first of nine one-hour sessions — she concentrated on the task of introducing the 38 students to the acting experience.

Specifically, improv.

To read the full story, see the Wednesday, April 15, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.