Course Description

What makes a great play great? What stories need to be told on stage now? This collaborative writing workshop will investigate the essential skills for playwrights including creating dynamic characters, dramatic action, and dialogue that makes us lean in to listen. We will analyze the dramatic techniques of modern masters as well as acclaimed contemporary playwrights. Through interactive exercises and assignments each student will develop their own unique playwriting voice. Everyone will hear newly written pages out loud – absolutely essential for playwrights – and receive constructive feedback. Classes will be a mix of writing exercises, lectures on craft, in-depth analysis of classic and contemporary plays, and discussions of student work, culminating in the creation of original one-act plays.