Posts Tagged :

In-Person Class

Turn Your Play Into A Screenplay

 960 748 Play Penn

with Chris Canaan

Join this Emmy Award-winning writer to find out how to take your work from the stage to the screen!

Class Description

Join Emmy Award-winning writer Chris Canaan to learn how to turn your stage play script into a screenplay! Perfect for writers of any experience level with at least one play (of any length) that they wish to adapt into a screenplay.

Public Reading of YOUR New Play!

If you register for a PlayPenn class by January 14, 2018, then you can apply for the opportunity to have your unproduced full-length plays given a public, 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, PA in the spring/summer of 2018. The play many not have had a professional production. PlayPenn will cover the costs of the reading, but the student is responsible for their own housing and transportation. If you register for a class by the deadline then additional details will be emailed to you after January 14, along with a submission form.

Dates & Times

May 5 and May 6, 2018 10am-2pm

Where

Philadelphia Young Playwrights Learning Lab, 1219 Vine Street, Floor 2, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Required Prep

Bring a hard copy of the play that you want to adapt into a screenplay, if you have it.

Bio

Christopher Canaan (playwright/screenwriter/performer) won an Emmy with Michael Mann for the mini-series, “Camerena: Drug Wars.” He has written and produced movies and mini-series for CBS, NBC, ABC, The Family Channel, Fox, USA, Showtime, Hallmark and Starz Encore, including “Cries Unheard,” with Hillary Swank, “Robinson Crusoe,” starring Pierce Brosnan, and Dashiell Hammett’s “The House On Turk Street,” starring Samuel L. Jackson. Additionally he was co-creator of the CBS series, “Walker Texas Ranger.” He developed a contemporary version of “The Prince and he Pauper” for Prince Edward of England, and “Project Millennium” for George Lucas. His screen adaptations include novels by Elmore Leonard, Ann Rice and Robert Ludlum. Canaan holds an MFA in Theater from the University of California, San Diego. He also studied theater history and criticism at NYU and was a student at the Stella Adler Studio. Canaan has performed in regional theater at the Old Globe Theater, the Los Angeles Music Center where he performed with Charlton Heston in “Crucifer of Blood.” He also performed he professional repertory companies at Tulane University in New Orleans, Dartmouth College, and Tufts University. For the last several years, Canaan has taught screenwriting for the Writers Program at UCLA Extension and has lectured at various universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, USC, and California Lutheran University. Canaan is a member of the faculty at the Academy of Cinema in Athens, Greece, where he taught the Michael Chekhov Technique and creative writing.

$300

Tuition

Register Here

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

 

*Students must register for a class by January 14, 2018 in order to be eligible to submit for the free spring Education reading.

Sign Up

“Chris Canaan is a phenomenal instructor who possesses unmatched passion for teaching and sharing his love for movies, screenwriting, and life. He taught me to dig deep into myself and into the story I want to tell. His class is educational and his charm and wit make it entertaining as well. My writing has improved considerably since taking his class.”

-Jason Ancona, UCLA

“Everything I know about screenwriting, I know because of Chris Canaan. He broke down the barriers and demystified the myths of screenwriting by applying his “real world” knowledge and years of experience in the business in his teaching. He makes screenplay structure understandable, and taught me how to apply structure to the story I want to tell. He has taught me to probe the depths of character, making me see and create characters that are unique and compelling. My characters now have a beating heart, all because of Chris. Also, Chris has given me the tools to change my destiny. I am now a student at the American Film Institute, getting my Masters in Screenwriting. I attribute my success at the AFI because of what Chris has taught me. His knowledge was a foundation that has made me competitively light years ahead of my classmates. I thank him so much for everything I have achieved.”

-Melissa Nowak, UCLA

“Chris Canaan, while reminding us of the classical elements of drama, insisted that a screenplay, no matter how well-structured, must come from the writer’s heart. By sharing his own experience of writing successful scripts, Chris created a safe environment in which screenplays grew from vague ideas to vivid, credible scripts. I can’t wait to take his class again.”

-Wesley Harris, UCLA

Writing and Revising 10-Minute Plays

 541 700 Play Penn

with Tammy Ryan

Join award-winning playwright and teacher, Tammy Ryan, for a one day Master Class in writing and rewriting the 10 minute play. Perfect for writers of all experience levels!

Class Description

Often 10 minute plays are the way that writers introduce themselves to the world, so we want to help you put your best foot forward.

In the morning Tammy will discuss what makes a great 10 minute play and then through a series of writing prompts get you started writing yours.

During an extended lunch break you can eat and write a new 10 minute play or revise an old one.

In the afternoon, you will share new pages with Tammy and receive feedback.

You will leave class prepared to finish or revise your new 10 minute play.

Public Reading of YOUR New Play!

If you register for a PlayPenn class by January 14, 2018, then you can apply for the opportunity to have your unproduced full-length plays given a public, 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, PA in the spring/summer of 2018. The play many not have had a professional production. PlayPenn will cover the costs of the reading, but the student is responsible for their own housing and transportation. If you register for a class by the deadline then additional details will be emailed to you after January 14, along with a submission form.

Dates & Times

April 21, 2018 10am-6pm

Where

Philadelphia Young Playwrights Learning Lab, 1219 Vine Street, Floor 2, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Bio

Tammy Ryan won the Francecsca Primus Prize for her play Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods.  Her plays have been performed around the country as well as internationally in Canada, Turkey and Japan.  She’s held residencies at the Sewanee Writers Conference, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Hambidge Center, LaMama Umbria International Playwriting Residency and the New Harmony Project. She teaches playwriting at Point Park, Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon University as well as freelance workshops.  For more information go to: www.tammyryan.net

$175

Tuition

Register Here

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

 

*Students must register for a class by January 14, 2018 in order to be eligible to submit for the free spring Education reading.

Sign Up

“PlayPenn has the ability to cultivate artists from the angles of playwright and actor. … It is a great organization which connects artists and allowing them to hone their craft.”

-Iman A.

Taking a PlayPenn Class you quickly realize how many talented playwrights and creative, generous artists are writing in Philly, and your own work benefits from the experience of working among them tremendously!”

-Joe

One-Person Show Intensive

 1024 683 Play Penn

with Nilaja Sun

Obie award winning Nilaja Sun returns with a specialized intensive designed to facilitate students, who are working on their own solo pieces, in honing the craft of writing and performing a dynamic one person show.

Class Description

Students will discover how their body, voice and unique story telling abilities can set their solo pieces apart from rest. Be ready to move, create and get motivated to finally tell your story, inspire audiences and be the change you want to see in the world!

Read about her current one person show in The New Yorker Magazine. 

Perfect for writers/performers working on one person shows or looking to begin a new one!

Free Reading of YOUR New Play

If you register for a PlayPenn class by January 14, 2018, then you can apply for the opportunity to have your unproduced full-length plays given a public, 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, PA in the spring/summer of 2018. The play many not have had a professional production. PlayPenn will cover the costs of the reading, but the student is responsible for their own housing and transportation. If you register for a class by the deadline then additional details will be emailed to you after January 14, along with a submission form.

Dates & Times

February 17 & 18, 2018

1pm-5pm

Where

Wilma Rehearsal Space in South Philadelphia, Gerritt Street Studio, 1213 Gerritt Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Limited parking so arrive early to park. Public transit: The Broad Street Line has 2 stops within 3 blocks and the #45 bus runs down 12th street.

Required Prep

Come prepared to share a 15 minute excerpt from your one-person show or show-in-progress.

Bio

Nilaja Sun is the solo performer and writer of the Off-Broadway smashes No Child… and her new show, Pike Street. For her creation and performance of No Child… and its subsequent national tour, Nilaja garnered 21 awards including: an Obie Award, a Helen Hayes Award a Lucille Lortel Award, and two Outer Critics Circle Awards including the John Gassner Playwriting Award for Outstanding New American Play. Theatre credits also include The Commons of Pensacola, Einstein’s Gift, Time and The Conways, Huck and Holden, and The Cook. Tv/Film credits include Madam Secretary, Louie, 30 Rock, Law & Order: SVU, Unforgettable, The International, and Rubicon. As a solo performer, her projects include the critically acclaimed Blues for a Gray Sun (INTAR), La Nubia Latina, Black and Blue, Insufficient Fare, Due to the Tragic Events of…, and Mixtures. Nilaja was awarded the soloNOVA Award for Artist of the Year by terraNOVA Collective and was recently awarded a NYSCHA grant. A native of the Lower East Side, she is a Princess Grace Award winner and has worked as a teaching artist in New York City for over 15 years.

$250

Tuition

Register Here

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

 

*Students must register for a class by January 14, 2018 in order to be eligible to submit for the free spring Education reading.

Sign Up

“PlayPenn classes offer a chance to take a break from the mundane, from the frenzy of the everyday, and to focus on your writing for a few hours, or a weekend, while gaining insight and inspiration from some truly excellent professional playwrights and teaching artists. PlayPenn’s opportunities are ones I feel lucky to be exposed to.

” -Mark C., 2017 Student

“The classes are a great opportunity for theater makers and theater lovers to gain useful insight to the playmaking process, as well as helpful tools to apply in any creative endeavor.”

-Andrew C., 2017 Student

Writing Great Dialogue

 650 433 Play Penn

with James Ijames

Join Whiting award-winning Philadelphia playwright and PlayPenn alum James Ijames for a deep dive into dialogue and what compels people to speak.

Class Description

What do you want to say? How do you create compelling dialogue that is character based and active?

The class will be a dynamic, on your feet approach to generating distinctive theatrical language for your characters that drives the action of your play and is unique to each character. Come with a play, a scene, or an idea and we will make your dialogue sing.

Free Reading of YOUR New Play

If you register for a PlayPenn class by January 14, 2018, then you can apply for the opportunity to have your unproduced full-length plays given a public, 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, PA in the spring/summer of 2018. The play many not have had a professional production. PlayPenn will cover the costs of the reading, but the student is responsible for their own housing and transportation. If you register for a class by the deadline then additional details will be emailed to you after January 14, along with a submission form.

Dates & Times

January 27, 2018

1pm-6pm

Where

Philadelphia Young Playwrights Learning Lab

1219 Vine Street, Floor 2

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Required Prep

Bring a snippet (one page or less) of your favorite piece of dialogue from a play.

Bio

James Ijames is a Philadelphia based performer and playwright. He has appeared regionally in productions at The Arden Theatre Company, The Philadelphia Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre Company, The Wilma Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Mauckingbird Theatre Company, and People’s Light and Theatre. James’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre (NYC), Ally Theatre (Washington DC) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright’s Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, The Gulfshore Playhouse, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Garden. James is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and he also won two Barrymores for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play for Superior Donuts and Angels in America and one Barrymore for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company. James is a 2011 Independence Foundation Fellow, a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for .…Miz Martha and a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award. James is a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective and a mentor for The Foundry. He received a B.A. in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and a M.F.A. in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. James is Assistant Professor of Theatre at Villanova University and resides in South Philadelphia.

$125

Tuition

Sold out!

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

 

*Students must register for a class by January 14, 2018 in order to be eligible to submit for the free spring Education reading.

Sign Up

“PlayPenn classes offer a chance to take a break from the mundane, from the frenzy of the everyday, and to focus on your writing for a few hours, or a weekend, while gaining insight and inspiration from some truly excellent professional playwrights and teaching artists. PlayPenn’s opportunities are ones I feel lucky to be exposed to.”

-Mark C., 2017 Student

“The classes are a great opportunity for theater makers and theater lovers to gain useful insight to the playmaking process, as well as helpful tools to apply in any creative endeavor.”

-Andrew C., 2017 Student
Jacqueline Goldfinger

Playwriting 101: Nuts & Bolts

 1024 683 Play Penn

with Jacqueline Goldfinger

Perfect for anyone with enthusiasm for the stage!

Dates & Times

Due to popular demand, this course is now being offered multiple times each semester.  All sessions will cover the same material.

  • Session 5 – Lunch & Learn: December 4, 5, 6, 7 from Noon-1:15pm

Where

Online. We will use Zoom.us. It is a very simple system. You will receive a link prior to class. You click the link and are taken to a site that has multiple boxes (like The Brady Bunch opening credits) where you can see and chat with everyone in the class. You must have a working internet connection and a computer that has both speakers (so you can hear the teaching artist) and a microphone (so they can hear you; be advised, some computer systems require you purchase a headset to use the microphone). If you would like to investigate the system before registering for the class, check out: www.zoom.us. PlayPenn covers the cost of using the system but you are expected to participate independently. We will not be recording these sessions.

Required Prep

You will be emailed a few pages of material to review prior to class.

Bio

Jacqueline Goldfinger

Jacqueline Goldfinger’s  new play, The Arsonists, currently has a NNPN Rolling World Premiere at Azuka Theatre, Know Theater, Capital Stage and Perseverance Theatre. She is an award-winning playwright who has taught playwriting at PlayPenn, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, San Diego, McCarter Theatre, and around the world. Her work has been seen at theaters including: The Kennedy Center, La MaMa (NYC), FringeArts, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arden Theatre, Azuka Theatre, Flashpoint Theatre, Seattle Public, Barrington Stage, Vermont Stage, and elsewhere. Her work is supported by NEA ArtWorks, Independence Foundation, Producer’s Fund, Yaddo, PlayPenn Conference, Lark Playwrights Week, and others. Read more about her work online: www.jacquelinegoldfinger.com

$100

Tuition

Join award-winning Playwright and PlayPenn Director of Education Jacqueline Goldfinger for a down and dirty, nuts & bolts exploration of the basics of the art and craft of playwriting. Whether you’re a professional writer or haven’t written a word, this class is great both for polishing skills and picking up new ones.

We will cover: Traditional well-made play structure, Other structural alternatives, Creating engaging characters, Creating strong worlds, Scene-work, Monologue-work, and more. We will also do, and share, several short writing exercises.

Stay Tuned…Fall classes will be announced on September 12!

“Jacqueline Goldfinger’s Workshop was the perfect solution to writer’s block and my fear of writing. It was both hands on and inspiring: practical and thought provoking – I left with questions to answer and new insights. Just what one wants from a workshop!”

-Deborah B.

“The class was a perfect mix of information and examples, practical writing time and sharing time.”

-Jane D.

“This was such an amazing class. I left feeling that I could really write a play. Thank you so much for your encouragement and passion for this art.”

-Karen S.

“I want to write a play and this class helped me get started. Jackie is a teacher who inspires and motivates.”

-Mary D.