The playwrights, who range from ages 9-12, hail from Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Under the auspices of the 52nd Street Project, the young writers will pen their own original short plays, which will be performed by stage and screen actors. Each playwright is assigned a pair of professional actors and dramaturge who aid in the development of the play.

The presentations on Dec. 7-9 follow a nine-week "Playmaking Stage One" program that teaches children how to develop characters, invent situations and create their own short plays. The playwrights interview their respective actors before going on a weekend retreat to fine-tune their works for final presentation. Following the retreat, the works are rehearsed with a director and professional actors.

Joining McDormand will be Mia Barron (The Coast of Utopia), John Conlee (The Constant Wife), Lizzie Cooper Davis (Lilith), Jessica Hecht (Howard Katz), Maggie Lacey (Inherit the Wind) and Jeanine Serralles (The Black Eyed).

Willie Reale founded the 52nd Street Project in 1981 to improve the quality of life for New York's inner-city children.

Don't Tread on Me, The Revolutionary Plays will play Dec. 7 at 7:30 PM, Dec. 8 at 3 PM and 7:30 PM and Dec. 9 at 3 PM at the American Theater of Actors, located in Manhattan at 314 West 54th Street. The presentation is free and open to the public. Reservations may be made by calling (212) 642-5052.