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Fall 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 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

Playwriting Jumpstart, with Anne Marie Cammarato

 640 433 Play Penn

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

Class Description

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.

Dates & Times

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

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Bio

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.

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

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.

Class Description

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.

Dates & Times

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

Where

Online (via Zoom)

Required Prep

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

Bio

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.

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

Doin’ it for the Culture: The Playwright as Cultural Worker & (Post-) Apocalyptic Anthropologist with Erika Dickerson-Despenza

 640 433 Play Penn

What do we do while standing at the edge of ongoing apocalypses? We make new futures possible by writing the world(s) to come.

Class Description

In this workshop, participants use anthropological frameworks, exercise principles of cultural work and examine an array of speculative literary and visual texts in order to generate speculative dramatic scenes that will culminate in an original, interdisciplinary short work. Participants will also develop a community-centered initiative that would lead, accompany and/or follow the performance. By practicing the future together, participants will be empowered to “respect their rage and their power” as liberation workers in the collective struggle for justice.

Dates & Times

Online: October 30, November 7, November 14, November 21: 7p – 9p E.S.T. / 5p – 7p P.S.T.

Where

Online via Zoom.

Required Prep

Enrolled students will be contacted prior to the first session with required reading and preliminary assignments.

Bio

Erika Dickerson-Despenza is a Blk feminist poet-playwright, cultural worker, educator and grassroots organizer from Chicago, Illinois. She’s the recipient of the 2019 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting/Fellowship at New Dramatists and was a 2018 Relentless Award Semifinalist. Erika is a National Arts & Culture Delegate for the U.S. Water Alliance’s One Water Summit 2019. She’s the 2019-2020 Tow Playwright-in-Residence at the Public Theater, a 2019 Writers’ Gathering Jerusalem Writer-in-Residence, a 2019 New York Stage and Film Fellow-in-Residence, a 2019 New Harmony Project Writer-in-Residence, a 2018-2019 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow and was The Lark’s 2018 Van Lier New Voices Fellow. Erika is a 2019-2020 member of Ars Nova Play Group and a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Obie-winning Youngblood collective. Her work has been developed at The Lark, Vineyard Arts Project, New York Stage and Film, Public Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, Fault Line Theatre and Jackalope Theatre. Current plays in development include: ocean’s lip/ heavn’s shore, took/tied, hung/split, shadow/land, and cullud wattah (2019 Kilroys List; Public Theater, 2020). In addition to this water tetralogy, Erika is developing a 10-play Katrina Cycle, including [hieroglyph] (2019 Kilroys List), focused on the effects of Hurricane Katrina and its state-sanctioned man-made disaster.

$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.

When you register for a PlayPenn class before September 20, 2019 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 early 2020. 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 along with a submission form.

Sign Up

“If you like expanding theatre’s depth and breadth, you’ll love PlayPenn.“

-Tasha Maria T., 2019 Student

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

-Stacey, 2018 Student

Writing From The Deep with Lisa Kenner Grissom

 640 433 Play Penn

Harness personal experience in your dramatic writing.

Class Description

We all have significant personal experiences that define, change or transform us—some are joyful, others painful. People often say, write what you know. But how? In this workshop, we will explore techniques to tap into your personal history in a safe way in order to enrich your characters with deep emotional resonance and subtext. Both in-class and at-home writing exercises will help you ask meaningful questions of yourself and your characters, construct compelling pieces from your own source materials, and make your story come alive with an authentic voice. This four-week online workshop is for writers who want to draw upon their personal histories to use emotions, memories and experiences to deepen the themes, characters and stories in their dramatic work.

Dates & Times

Tuesdays (online): October 29, November 5, November 12, November 19: 7 pm – 9 pm E.S.T. / 5 pm – 7 pm P.S.T.

Where

Online.

Required Prep

Enrolled students will be contacted prior to the first session with recommended reading and preliminary assignments.

Bio

Lisa Kenner Grissom is an LA-based playwright whose work explores complex social issues through intimate relationships, often through the lens of strong, complicated women. Her award-winning short film Tattoo You is based on her award-winning one-act of the same name (Winner, Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival), and has screened at festivals nationally and internationally. Full-length plays include: Four Chambers (Winner of the Jean Kennedy Smith Award, Kennedy Center ACTF; O’Neill Playwrights Conference Finalist), Motherland (Princess Grace Fellowship and Bridge Initiative Finalist), Building The Perfect Chair (TruVoices Finalist) and Shelter (PlayPenn Semi-Finalist). In addition, her work has been recognized as a finalist for The Ashland New Play Festival, The Lark, The Playwrights’ Center and Heideman Award, among others. Her short plays are published by Smith & Kraus. Lisa twice attended the O’Neill Playwrights Conference as a Kennedy Center Fellow. Her work has been presented and/or developed at The Kennedy Center, Antaeus Theater Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Chalk Rep, Clurman Theater, Inkwell Theater, Moving Arts, Manhattan Theatre Source, Road Theatre and more. Originally from Boston, Lisa is a proud member of the Playwrights Union, Dramatist Guild and Antaeus Playwrights Lab. www.lisakennergrissom.com

$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.

When you register for a PlayPenn class before September 20, 2019 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 early 2020. 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 along with a submission form.

Sign Up

“This was an unbelievable learning experience for both beginners and experienced playwrights. [My teacher] was inspiring and encouraging, smart and effective, wise and warm, informed and generous.”

Emma L., 2018 Student

“PlayPenn offers wonderful courses with insightful instructors. … What a treat to be able to study with the best in playwriting for a reasonable fee.”

-Pam P., 2019 Student

Honing Your Creative Voice with Amy E. Witting

 640 433 Play Penn

Bridge the gap between the first spark of inspiration and crafting a strong story in your own voice.

Class Description

Ideas come to us, but we are often left not knowing how to move forward. This workshop will help students dive deeper into the development process, trusting that our inspiration will provide us with the map to craft structure, story, and a better understanding of what our characters want.

Dates & Times

October 5 and October 6: 1-5pm

Where

The Wilma Theatre, 265 S. Broad St., Philadelphia

Required Prep

Please bring 1-5 pages of a playwriting project-in-progress that you’re currently working on.

Bio

Amy E. Witting (PlayPenn ’19, ARCHIPELAGO) resides in Queens, where she received a QAF New Work Grant for her documentary play, SUNNYSIDE IMPRESSIONS. Other work includes ANNE PAGE HATES FUN (American Shakespeare Center World Premiere), THE HOUSE ON THE HILL (CATF World Premiere, Atlantic Theater Commission, NNPN Showcase, The Kennedy Center ACTF/NNPN MFA Alumni Playwright Workshop), and A BAD NIGHT (NY Rep Workshop, MTC Creative Space). Her plays have been developed at Atlantic Theater, The Lark Play Development Center, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Tofte Lake Center, Roundabout Theatre, National New Play Network, Abingdon Theatre, and The Kennedy Center. She received her MFA in playwriting from Hunter College.

$170

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.

When you register for a PlayPenn class before September 20, 2019 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 early 2020. 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 along with a submission form.

Sign Up

“I feel lucky to have PlayPenn just around the corner from me; a hallowed place where writers are the focus, where audiences come not to judge but to witness. PlayPenn is essential to the theatre industry.”

-Paige, 2019 Student

“Getting involved with PlayPenn has been one of the best things I’ve done since moving back to the city.”

-2019 Student
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