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Chisa Hutchinson

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.

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“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

Pitches, Bitches! with Chisa Hutchinson

 640 433 Play Penn

You wrote a play. Cool. Let's talk about synopses, cover letters, follow-ups, and cultivation.

Class Description

This four-hour intensive will give you the tools to package your play for the industry like a pro.

Dates & Times

October 8th and 15th, 6:30PM-8:30PM EST

Where

Online

Required Prep

Students should come to the first session with several “elevator pitches” of their work: short descriptions of what their script is and why they care about it. These will be revisited and revised over the course of the two sessions.

Bio

Chisa Hutchinson (B.A. Vassar College; M.F.A NYU – Tisch School of the Arts) is a New York-based playwright and screenwriter. She is currently working mercenary-style on a screenplay for A&E/Lifetime and two indie film originals. And because she’s always up for a new challenge, she also just wrote a radio play for Audible, which will be both recorded for their international platform and produced live later this year at Minetta Lane Theatre. Chisa’s happily presented her other plays, which include Dirt Rich, She Like Girls,This Is Not The Play, Sex On Sunday, Tunde’s Trumpet, The Subject, Somebody’s Daughter, Alondra Was Here, Surely Goodness And Mercy, From The Author Of, Amerikin and Dead & Breathing at such venues as the Lark Theater, SummerStage, Atlantic Theater Company, Mad Dog Theater Company, Rattlestick Theater, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Contemporary American Theater Festival, the National Black Theatre, Writers’ Theatre of New Jersey, Delaware REP, Second Stage Theater and Arch 468 in London. She has been a Dramatists Guild Fellow, a Lark Fellow, a Resident at Second Stage Theater, a Humanitas Fellow, a New York NeoFuturist, and a staff writer for the Blue Man Group. Chisa has won a GLAAD Award, a Lilly Award, a New York Innovative Theatre Award, the Paul Green Award, a Helen Merrill Award, the Lanford Wilson Award, and has been a finalist for the highly coveted PoNY Fellowship. Currently, in addition to being a Fellow at Primary Stages and a proud fifth-year member of New Dramatists, Chisa is gearing up for three NYC theater productions and settling down to write a revenge play about white folks who call the cops on black folks for no good reason for South Coast Rep. To learn more, visit www.chisahutchinson.com .

$85

Tuition

Register Here

When you register for a PlayPenn class before September 25, 2018, you’ll be invited to submit your unproduced, full-length play for consideration for a professional staged reading. PlayPenn will produce one student’s play as a reading with a professional director, professional actors and a PlayPenn dramaturg in Philadelphia in the spring/summer of 2019. Only plays that have not had a professional production or reading will be considered. PlayPenn will cover the cost of the reading, but the student is responsible for their own housing and transportation. If you register for a class by the deadline, additional details will be emailed to you after September 25, along with a submission form.

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

“Taking a class with PlayPenn was one of the best decisions I could have made for my career.”

-Shaun L., 2018 Student

“If you are thinking about taking a class from PlayPenn, do it.”

-Stacey, 2018 Student