Classes

Contemporary Theater Script Club with L M Feldman

 400 400 Play Penn

Part book club and part writing workshop, this course invite its participants to take comfort in and inspiration from the rich world of contemporary plays; to embrace this time as a chance to replenish our own soil.

Class Description

In this destabilizing global moment, it can be hard to find artistic motivation as a playwright: how to find the drive again to revise or to generate new work? Some are finding this a fabulous moment for artistic productivity, but others are finding creative output all but impossible right now. For those of us who are struggling to write, this can be a good time to turn our attention toward input, creative nourishment, towards a kind of sabbatical when we can pause and restock our artistic shelves. In this four-week class, PlayPenn instructor L M Feldman will guide students through craft-based discussions of four stylistically diverse (and hopefully not-yet-known-to-you) new plays, to be announced prior to the start date. Each week will focus on one script (to be read at home in advance of each class) and will be paired with an in-class writing prompt to help gently spark some creativity again. Part book club and part writing workshop, this course invite its participants to take comfort in and inspiration from the rich world of contemporary plays; to embrace this time as a chance to replenish our own soil.

Dates & Times

Tuesdays, November 29th – December 20th, 5:30 – 7:00pm

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Bio

L M Feldman is a queer, feminist playwright who writes theatrically adventurous, physically kinetic, ensemble-driven plays – usually about outsiders, often about searchers, always about the human connection. Her plays include THRIVE OR WHAT YOU WILL (New Georges & Page 73 Residencies); ANOTHER KIND OF SILENCE (FEWW Prize Honorable Mention, Magic Theatre New Play Festival, PlayPenn & Sewanee Writers’ Conferences, Playwrights Realm Fellowship); AMANUENSIS, OR THE MILTONS (Georgetown University, Ramah Theatre commission); THE EGG-LAYERS (Jane Chambers Honorable Mention, New Georges/Barnard College commission); GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING (Denver Center, Barrymore & ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award Nominations); and A PEOPLE (Orbiter 3, Jewish Plays Project); as well as several ensemble-devised works, including GUMSHOE (New Paradise Labs + the Free Library of Philadelphia + the Rosenbach Museum), WAR OF THE WORLDS: PHILADELPHIA (Swim Pony + Drexel University), AND IF YOU LOSE YOUR WAY, OR A FOOD ODYSSEY (The Invisible Dog), LADY M (Philadelphia Live Arts Festival), and others. She has been nominated for the Wendy Wasserstein Prize, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwright Award, the New York Innovative Theatre Award, and the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. She’s an InterAct Theatre Core Playwright. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama and the New England Center for Circus Arts, L is also a performer & dramaturg of contemporary circus. She has performed circus-theater at festivals around the world, and she’s a dramaturg for circus artists around the country. She loves theater that moves, and circus that tells stories. L has lived in seven cities and is now based in Philadelphia, where she teaches and where she’s writing two new plays: commissions from EST/Sloan and the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte.

$160

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.

Sign Up

“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

Developing a Solo Show with Che’Rae Adams

 400 266 Play Penn

This hands-on class is designed to ready scripts for production by taking a close look at effective writing.

Class Description

This 6-week remote class is for actors who want to develop a solo show script. This hands-on class is designed to ready scripts for production by taking a close look at effective writing. This class is centered around a workbook entitled “Writing is Hard…” which is based on lectures given by Che’Rae Adams at various universities across America. A series of exercises will be assigned on a weekly basis from the text which the instructor will review with the students. Original material will be generated by the students, and feedback on the work will be given by the instructor. Students are asked to generate at least 5-7 new pages a week to share with the instructor so that students can have a rough draft of a 45-60 minute show by the end of the 6 weeks.

Dates & Times

Thursdays, October 27th – December 8th, 6:00-9:00pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

$360

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.

Sign Up

“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

Ethics and Fundamentals of Playwriting with Angeline Larimer

 650 433 Play Penn

Learn foundational playwriting rules to go forward with confidence in reinventing them.

Class Description

Ethics and Fundamentals of Playwriting provides an introduction or refresher for those serious about beginning or improving their scriptwriting skills, with added conversations built-in that help each playwright answer the questions, ‘Why am I doing this? What impact am I trying to make?’ Participants will learn playscript formatting, strengthen knowledge of structure of drama, participate in prompted writing exercises, complete a 10-minute play at the end of the 8 weeks course, and will learn and participate in the required rules of beneficial workshopping. Essentially, participants learn foundational playwriting rules so that they can go forward with confidence in reinventing them.

Dates & Times

Wednesdays, October 26th – December 21st, 5:30-7:30pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Preparation Required

A strong creative writing background is preferred. Angeline will meet with each participant individually to create an individualized plan.

Bio

Angeline Larimer (she/her) is an MFA playwright, screenwriter, dramaturg, bioethicist for public health, & Medical Humanities and Applied Theatre playwriting professor for Indiana University-Indianapolis. She is a collaborator with Fonseca Theatre Company and American Lives Theatre. She is also a volunteer scriptwriting instructor for Indiana Veterans Affairs Outreach (Playwriting for Veterans) and Indiana Prison Writers Workshop. She is a member of the IU Conscience Project. Her recent specialty is collaborating on devised scripts addressing social justice and health inequity concerns. She was Lead Dramaturg for PlayPenn’s 2022 New Play Development Conference. dapibus leo.

$320

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.

Sign Up

“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

Director & Playwright Collaboration with Jackson Gay

 150 150 Play Penn

Expand on all aspects of the director-playwright collaborative process

Class Description

In this class, you will come together for joint exercises designed to expose you to all aspects of the director-playwright collaborative process, from the first coffee date, through all stages of therehearsal and production process, including design and casting. We will discuss practical ways you can, proactively and throughout the process, create a room where the playwright’s intentions and the director’s contributions work together to bring the production to life.

Dates & Times

Tuesdays, October 25th – November 15th, 7:00-8:30pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

$120

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.

Sign Up

“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

The Artist’s Way, with Lisa Berger

 640 433 Play Penn

A 12-week creative recovery. This program offers exercises in gaining self-confidence and harnessing your creative talents and skills.

Class Description

The Artist’s Way written by Julia Cameron supports people in their creative recovery. It teaches techniques and exercises to assist people in gaining self-confidence in harnessing their creative talents and skills. Participants will read one chapter a week, prior to convening as a group. As a group, you will then come together to discuss the chapter and activities of the week. Lisa Berger will facilitate the group. This is meant to be a safe and brave space. Each participant will make their own goals and have their own journey in reclaiming ownership of their artist practice.

Dates & Times

Mondays, June 6th – August 22nd, 8-10pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Required Prep

A PDF of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron will be distributed before the class, but feel free to purchase a copy of The Artist’s Way as well. Please read the first chapter before class.

Bio

Lisa Berger is a director, Meisner teacher and professor of Theatre. Her San Diego directing credits include How High the Moon and The Car Plays: Incident Row (Wow Festival); The Car Plays: We Wait (LaJolla Playhouse, Moving Arts) , Red Truck, Blue Truck, When It Comes and Skelton Crew (readings;The Old Globe), Parlour Song (Backyard Renaissance) A Behanding in Spokane (Cygnet Theatre) Looking for Normal, The Long Christmas Ride Home and The Moors, (Diversionary Theatre) She received her MFA from the University of Montana and is also a graduate of The William Esper Studio in New York City. She currently teaches at Mira Costa College and the University of San Diego. She is co-artistic director of Meisner/Chekhov Integrated Training Studio.

$480

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.

Sign Up

“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

Lyric Blockbusting, with Marcy Heisler

 640 433 Play Penn

Creating contemporary lyrics via an interactive lyric writing workshop.

Class Description

Join Marcy Heisler in a hands-on interactive writing workshop in which lyricists expand the boundaries of their creative toolkit. With a core of instructor-based assignments grounded in professional experience, writers will complete assignments built on themes of adaptation, collaboration, production environment, and more.

Dates & Times

March 10, 17, 24, 31, 6:30-9:30pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Bio

Marcy Heisler is a bookwriter/lyricist, performer, poet, author and educator. Primarily working with composer Zina Goldrich, current collaborations include: Ever After (Book/Lyrics), Breathe (Lyrics), Hollywood Romance (Lyrics), Dear Edwina (Book/Lyrics, Drama Desk nomination), Snow White, Rose Red and Fred (Book/Lyrics, Helen Hayes nomination), Junie B Jones, The Musical (Book/Lyrics, Lucille Lortel nomination) Junie B’s Essential Survival Guide to School (Book/Lyrics), The Great American Mousical (Lyrics), and others. Additionally, she is working on Williamsburg, which was recently workshopped at New York Stage and Film in collaboration with Pultizer-prize winning composer Tom Kitt, Emmy Award winning author Jason Katims, and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller. She collaborated with Concord composer Georgia Stitt on Alphabet City Cycle, which was based upon her poetry. Her songs have been featured in numerous projects for Disney, ABC, NPR and PBS, and she is co-lyricist of Little Did I Know, a podcast musical collaboration with Doug Besterman and Dean Pitchford. Awards include the 2012 Kleban Prize for Lyrics, 2009 Fred Ebb Award (co-recipient) for outstanding songwriting, the 2012 ASCAP Rodgers and Hart Award, the ASCAP New Horizons Theatre Award, and the Seldes-Kanin Fellowship. She is a Concord publishing artist and her collected works are available at Hal Leonard.

$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.

Sign Up

“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

Building a First Draft, with Phillip Christian Smith

 640 433 Play Penn

The focus of the class will be on moving forward without getting stuck, and making that great idea, a visceral reality, words on paper.

Class Description

Students will bring in 5-10 pages a week, those pages will be workshopped in a safe Lerman styled manner. Through, what stuck out to you (popcorn), questions the class has, and questions the writer has, we hope to inspire the playwright to write vigoursly and more effectively by seeing what impact it is having on the class IE what is coming across. A little positive and kind feedback can be a strong motivational factor for an emerging playwright.

Dates & Times

March 18, 25, April 1, 8, 7-9pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Required Prep

Bring 5 pages of a new idea to the first class, if possible – from there in, 5-10 pages of writing will be required for each week’s class.

Bio

Phillip Christian Smith is a 2021 O’Neill (NPC) Finalist for his drag ball adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest titled: A Handbag is Not a Proper Mutha, 2020-21 Playwrights Realm Fellow, Lambda Literary Fellow, Winter Playwrights Retreat, Blue Ink Playwriting Award Semi-Finalist, Finalist for The Dramatists Guild Fellowship and New Dramatists, Finalist and Semi-finalist PlayPenn, Two time Semi-finalist for The O’Neill (NPC), and runner- up in The Theatre of Risk Modern Tragedy writing competition for his play The Chechens, which also won Theatre Conspiracy’s playwriting award, and recently had its third production at Alliance for the Arts. He has been a semi-finalist for Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries (ASC), finalist for Trustus, former Playwright in Residence Exquisite Corpse and founding member of The Playwriting Collective. 2021 Playwright in Residence: Quicksilver Theatre’s Playwrights of Color Summit. Co-Literary Director of Exquisite Corpse Company. His work has been supported by The Fire This Time Festival, Bennington College, Primary Stages (Cherry Lane) ESPA, Fresh Ground Pepper, and the 53rd Street New York Public Library. MFA Yale School of Drama, BFA University of New Mexico. MFA Hunter ’23.

$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.

Sign Up

“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

The Polish, with Jule Selbo

 640 433 Play Penn

It’s important for a playwright, after the first solid draft of a play is completed, to be able to step back and analyze the elements of their work.

Class Description

Are the characters clear? Is there a purpose for the piece? What themes are creeping to the forefront? What does the writer want the audience to “get” from the piece? Is it ready to be produced? Do all elements have a clarity to them, so the reader/producer will understand the writer’s intent? We will work as a group, and also individually, to explore the questions (and more) stated above. Exercises will help generate new content. The plays will be workshopped during the class sessions.

Dates & Times

March 21, 28, April 4, 11, 7-9pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Required Prep

A completed first draft of a play. Instructor will provide reading material.

Bio

Jule Selbo loves story – and she writes in many mediums (theatrical plays, screenplays, novels, non-fiction). Her plays have been produced in New York and Los Angeles and in regional theaters. Isolate (directed by Allan Wasserman) was awarded the LA Women’s Playwrighting Prize (1992), Boxes, a nominee for the Valley Awards (directed by Mary Lou Belli), premiered at Theater West (2015) and most recently produced (in 2019) at Good Theatre in Portland, Maine to sold out houses and excellent reviews. One-acts include Open Door (Theater West) The Wedding (Actors Theater Louisville), Two Not So Tall Women (Interact Theatre); her short play Miss Julie was chosen for the LA Pride Festival Zoom reading series and for Acorn Theater’s Spring Festival (postponed because of Covid). Her play, Lake Girls has enjoyed staged readings and is on a short list for possible 2021 production. She’s a produced screenwriter in both film and tv, she’s written “story podcasts” and also for bookshelves (four books so far); her latest novel, 10 DAYS, A Dee Rommel Mystery has been nominated for a 2021 Clue Award. She has also written academic texts on screenwriting, film history. She helped shape the playwriting department at California State University and started a one-act festival at the university; she has taught playwriting workshops in LA, NYC, Maine and Florence, Italy. Her focus, as an instructor, is to help each writer find the core of the work and to help get it ready for an audience. Check out her website https://www.juleselbo.com

$200

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.

Sign Up

“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

Dynamic Dialogue, with Chisa Hutchinson

 640 433 Play Penn

How to (you know) write dynamic dialogue.

Class Description

We’ve all been there. You’ve ruminated on an idea for a play. Dreamed up some really compelling characters. Even outlined major plot points in the shower one morning. Like you know exactly how you want the thing to end and everything. But then you sit down to start writing it and read that first scene out loud and go, “Ughch, all my characters all sound the same,” or “Man, this feels so flat.”

THAT. That’s what this class is for: avoiding that shit. I’ll break dialogue down into elements and give you some tips for how to create dialogue that feels both authentic to your characters and engaging to your audience. Along the way, I will give you two short assignments that will challenge you to flex your dialogue muscles, and we will workshop your work.

Dates & Times

March 26, 2-5pm EST

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Required Prep

Just bring something to write on or with.

Bio

Chisa Hutchinson (B.A. Vassar College; M.F.A NYU – TSoA) has presented her plays, which include She Like Girls, Somebody’s Daughter, Surely Goodness And Mercy, Whitelisted and Dead & Breathing at such venues as the Lark Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, CATF, the National Black Theatre, Second Stage Theater and Arch 468 in London. Her radio drama, Proof of Love, can be found on Audible (with a pretty boss rating). She has been a Dramatists Guild Fellow, a Lark Fellow, a NeoFuturist, and a staff writer for the Blue Man Group. She’s won a GLAAD Award, a Lilly Award, a New York Innovative Theatre Award, a Helen Merrill Award, and the Lanford Wilson Award. Currently, Chisa is standing by for production on a new TV series she helped write for Showtime, and is about to embark on another with producers Karamo Brown (Queer Eye) and Stephanie Allain (Hustle & Flow, Dear White People). Her first original feature, THE SUBJECT, an indie about a white documentarian dealing with the moral fallout from exploiting the death of a black teen, is available on various VOD platforms after a successful film festival circuit during which it won over 30 prizes. To learn more, visit www.chisahutchinson.com .

$50

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.

Sign Up

“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

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.

Class Description

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.

Dates & Times

November 4th – 7th, 6-9pm EDT

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Bio

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.

Sign Up

“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