Monthly Archives :

September 2021

The Subconscious First Draft, with C. Julian Jiménez

640 433 Play Penn

This course is designed to free students from the expected into the unknown.

Using writing exercises, students will begin to understand how bucking traditional form can unlock their imagination and help them embrace the messiness of their first draft as something to cherish, instead of something to discard.

November 4th – 7th, 6-9pm EDT

Online (via Zoom)

C. Julian Jiménez Acting MFA (The Actors Studio Drama School at the New School). Awards: The 2009 Public Theater Emerging Writers Group Fellowship, 2015 Queens Arts Council Grant, and The 2014 Best New Work Motif Award. Plays include, Locusts Have No King (INTAR), Animals Commit Suicide (First Floor Theater), Nico was a Fashion Model (LAByrinth) and Man Boobs (The Public Theater). Julian received honors for Best Devised Work & Best Direction at the 49th Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in 2017 for his production of anOTHER. He is an Executive Producer and Writer of the hit web series, Bulk- The Series.

$225

Tuition

Register Here

Click the link below to visit our Reservation Page, where you can view all classes and register for this course. For questions or to inquire about payment plans, please email classes@playpenn.org.

“Writing can be a lonely road. I’m thankful that Philadelphia offers the supportive, talented PlayPenn community.”

-Joe G., 2020 Participant

I walked away with an arsenal of guidelines for what makes a high-concept play, but also with half a notebook full of fantastic off-the-cuff breakthroughs and exercises.

-Danielle B., 2019 Participant

Playwriting Jumpstart, with Anne Marie Cammarato

640 433 Play Penn

Have you been stuck in a creative rut during the pandemic?

Has it been difficult to start or keep writing? Or maybe you’ve written a lot but haven’t had the energy to rewrite. This course is an opportunity to jumpstart your writing in this difficult time. We will work to create a safe space for experimenting, sharing work, and inspiring one another. We will use exercises designed to tap into your creativity, get you writing, and encourage you to make space for writing in your life, no matter the circumstances. If you’ve felt out of touch with your creative side during the pandemic, this is a chance to find it again.

September 30th, October 7th, 14th, and 21st, 7-9pm EDT

Online (via Zoom)

Anne Marie Cammarato is a playwright and director, whose plays include Hazel, Bobby James, Milk Pie, A Scar, 10 Months, and The Big Room. Her work has been developed at PlayPenn, Theatre Exile, Temple University, the University of the Arts and the Resident Ensemble Players, and has been produced at Delaware Theatre Company, Theatre X, and Temple University. She has worked throughout the country at theatres including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Madison Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Renaissance Theatreworks, and Delaware Theatre Company, where she served as Artistic Director for six seasons. Anne Marie studied at North Carolina School of the Arts and New York University, and holds an MFA in Playwriting from Temple University. She was a finalist for the Leah Ryan Fund prize (2015) and has been nominated for/awarded multiple Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. In 2012, she was the Established Literary Fellow in Playwriting for the State of Delaware. She teaches playwriting at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, and has taught at Drexel University, the University of Delaware, PlayPenn and The Barrow Group in New York. Anne Marie was recently Playwright-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.

$150

Tuition

Register Here

Click the link below to visit our Reservation Page, where you can view all classes and register for this course. For questions or to inquire about payment plans, please email classes@playpenn.org.

“Writing can be a lonely road. I’m thankful that Philadelphia offers the supportive, talented PlayPenn community.”

-Joe G., 2020 Participant

I walked away with an arsenal of guidelines for what makes a high-concept play, but also with half a notebook full of fantastic off-the-cuff breakthroughs and exercises.

-Danielle B., 2019 Participant

A Musical How-To, with Daniel and Patrick Lazour

640 433 Play Penn

In this masterclass, we will be taking students through the creation of a musical.

What makes a good idea for an original musical? What makes a good adaptation? Then, once you have your idea: what are the steps to make that musical in your head a reality. Daniel and I will focus on the practicals of musical theater creation — music & lyrics, the book, collaborations — while also giving some insight into the world of development and production, as well as smart and responsible independent theater making. We are all writing a musical to make a musical… and that means produce a musical! Hopefully, our masterclass will give some insight to take your show to the next level.

October 4th, 6th, 11th, and 13th, 7-9pm EDT

Online (via Zoom)

A serious interest in musical theater, and a desire to write a musical

Daniel and Patrick Lazour are Lebanese-American brothers and music theatre writers. In May 2019, they premiered their musical We Live in Cairo at the American Repertory Theatre directed by Obie Award-winner Taibi Magar. Their album Flap My Wings (Songs from We Live in Cairo) was recorded remotely during the pandemic and features major activist-songwriters from across the Arab world. They are developing a new musical with Ritesh Batra based on his movie The Lunchbox, commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater, and their musical community project about cancer treatment, patients and caretakers is being developed with Harvard University and the American Repertory Theater. They have developed their work during residencies at O’Neill, Yaddo, UCross and SPACE at Ryder Farm. Patrick and Daniel are MacDowell Fellows and New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspects. Most recently, they were artists-in-residence at the American University in Cairo. They perform their songs live weekly at the Boiler Room, a gay dive bar in New York City. @frereslazour

$150

Tuition

Register Here

Click the link below to visit our Reservation Page, where you can view all classes and register for this course. For questions or to inquire about payment plans, please email classes@playpenn.org.

“Writing can be a lonely road. I’m thankful that Philadelphia offers the supportive, talented PlayPenn community.”

-Joe G., 2020 Participant

I walked away with an arsenal of guidelines for what makes a high-concept play, but also with half a notebook full of fantastic off-the-cuff breakthroughs and exercises.

-Danielle B., 2019 Participant