The New Canon: Plays by Visionary Women
From Churchill to Parks—study women playwrights who revolutionize story, structure, and stage.
Class Description
Instructor: Pandora Scooter (Playwright) Former DGI Title: Architecture of Plays (A Canon of Women Playwrights) Take a deep dive into six groundbreaking plays by visionary playwrights who are expanding the possibilities of theatrical storytelling. This class examines work that use incentives structures, fresh approaches to content, and powerful thematic depth. You'll study "Far Away" by Caryl Churchill alongside Paula Vogel's response play"...And Baby Makes Seven", exploring how playwrights can engage across texts. Analyze structural innovation in Suzan-Lori Parks' "The Death of the Last Black Man in Whole Entire World" and Lisa Kron's "Well". Consider unique approaches to subject matter in Diana Son's "R.A.W. ("Cause I'm Woman)" and engage with socially charges writing of Maria Irene Fornés through "The Conduct of Life". Together, these works offer a rich opportunity to rethink how plays are written, what stories they tell, and how they resonate on stage. Requirements for this Class: Students must obtain the required texts before the course begins; a detailed list with costs will be provided in advance. Expectations for this Class: We ask that students attend each session, read the assigned plays with enough time to process the content and structure, and then to participate in class discussion. After Completion of Class: Students will emerge from this class with a broader and deeper understanding of how plays can be written, how they succeed and how different playwrights utilize structure to tell their stories. All of this is in service to learning how to better write or support theatrical work as a theatre maker. PlayPenn Summer Classes Starts July 23: Mondays * Summer of Sondheim – Starts July 28, 2025 Tuesdays * Writing Disability on Stage – Starts July 29, 2025 * Crafting Dialogue – Starts July 29, 2025 Wednesdays * The New Canon: Plays by Visionary Women – Starts July 30, 2025 Thursdays * Submissions Intensive – Starts July 23, 2025 * Script Rewrite Lab – Starts July 31, 2025 Fridays * Song Dramaturgy Intensive – Starts August 1, 2025
Class Schedule
Contact Details
classes@playpenn.org
Cancellation Policy
At PlayPenn, we are proud to collaborate with exceptional artists who generously make time in their busy schedules to teach our classes. To ensure a high-quality, personalized experience, we keep class sizes intentionally small. Because of this limited capacity, we are unable to offer refunds for missed classes. We kindly ask that you confirm your availability before registering to ensure you don’t miss the chance to learn from our outstanding instructors. In the rare event that we must cancel a class due to unforeseen circumstances, a full refund will be issued.
Learn More About Your Instructor
Our teaching artists are all working professional writers—award-winning playwrights and musical theatre creators—who bring real-world experience, insight, and passion to every session.
Get to know our artists—click a name below to read their full bio.
Summer 2025 Classes
For theatre makers who want to deepen their understanding of how great musicals are made.
Starts Jul 28
Reimagine your theatre practice through the lens of disability and authentic representation.
Starts Jul 29
From Churchill to Parks—study women playwrights who revolutionize story, structure, and stage.
Starts Jul 30
Learn to finish strong & submit with purpose—build real-world submission skills as a writer.
Starts Jul 23
Learn to revise with clarity, confidence, creative direction, and captivate your audience.
Starts Jul 31
For theatre makers who want to learn how songs drive story, structure, and character.
Starts Aug 1
Starts Jul 5
Sharpen your dialogue to reveal character, drive story, and captivate your audience.
Starts Jul 29