February 19, 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23

Wednesdays from 6:30pm – 9:30pm ET

In-Person at ART/NY Studios at 520 8th Ave.

NEW STUDENT RATE: $580

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $560

Studio Fee: $40

Due to the increasing cost of studio space, our in-person classes will now include a $40 studio space fee to help us offset these costs.

If you’re curious about stepping into the world of playwriting - welcome! In this 10-week class, playwright and performer Iraisa Ann Reilly will help you build a toolbox of the fundamentals, so your first play (and each play you write after that!) can be built on a strong foundation.

This class might be for you if you are:

• A budding playwright who wants to explore an idea that you've been trying to write forever.
• A theater artist boldly crossing the line from one discipline to another and ready to start writing!
• A novelist or poet searching for a new form.

In this class you will:

• Build a toolbox of the fundamentals, including discussions on character, Western dramatic structure, and dialogue.
• For the first half of the semester, generate new work through in-class writing exercises, using these to connect with your subconscious and tap into the characters that are in your heart. 
• In the second half of the semester, focus on workshopping and revising your own short play, bringing in 10 pages each week to share with the class. 
• Share your pages and exercises aloud as a class and have feedback sessions led by Iraisa, learning how to share and receive creative feedback with your peers.
• Read a full length and short play at the beginning of the semester to understand fundamental concepts and have a shared vocabulary.
• Throughout the semester, Iraisa will give non-mandatory reading and viewing suggestions tailored to each playwright to help you on your writing journey.Find community and motivation through and with your fellow artists.

By the end of this class you will:

• Have an understanding of playwriting fundamentals and the workshop process.
• Have written (and re-written) your own ten-minute piece and feel empowered to take your writing into the world, whether through expanding your characters into a full-length play or submitting your short work to festivals.
• Feel inspired and ready to create!

Learn more about Iraisa Ann here.

This class will be fully digital for sharing and reading pages. All pages will be shared via a class Google Drive folder, and we will use devices in class to read each other’s pages. Please come to class with a device (laptop, tablet, etc) and a charger/power cord for your device. If you are unable to bring your own device, please contact ESPA Administration.

February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28

Mondays from 6:00pm – 9:00pm ET

In-Person at ART/NY South Oxford Space, located at 138 S. Oxford St. in BROOKLYN

NEW STUDENT RATE: $580

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $560

Studio Fee: $40

Due to the increasing cost of studio space, our in-person classes will now include a $40 studio space fee to help us offset these costs.

Whether you're writing your first play or your hundredth, it's not always easy to set the creative wheels in motion. This 10-week class will guide you through the development of your first draft.

More about class with Michael: This class is run in the spirit of a dramaturg running a workshop for playwrights. The class relies on students generating pages outside of class and attending each class. You will read each other's pages out loud and follow that with structured feedback led by Michael. Peer-to-peer conversation is central, along with hearing from Michael each week about your writing. Playwrights will be encouraged to write as many pages each week as they feel inspired to, and you'll commit to actively reading and discussing around 12 minutes of writing per student per week (typically 10-15 pages). The feedback Michael leads aims to illuminate what the pages have already accomplished, and not predict what you should do next. Weekly participation will keep you on the path toward a complete first draft. Michael will help you articulate the style and structure that your particular play wants to be told in by meeting you on your own turf and reflecting back to you what he sees in your writing—where it may want to push ahead, where it may be losing steam or clarity, and where certain playwriting tools (such as character, reversals, language, song, and physical action) may push a scene to the next level.

Learn more about Michael here.

Learn more about First Draft here.

This class will be fully digital for sharing and reading pages. All pages will be shared via a class Google Drive folder, and we will use devices in class to read each other’s pages. Please come to class with a device (laptop, tablet, etc) and a charger/power cord for your device. If you are unable to bring your own device, please contact ESPA Administration

March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15

Thursdays from 6:00pm – 9:00pm ET

In-Person at ART/NY Studios at 520 8th Ave. 

NEW STUDENT RATE: $580

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $560

Studio Fee: $40

Due to the increasing cost of studio space, our in-person classes will now include a $40 studio space fee to help us offset these costs.

Whether you're writing your first play or your hundredth, it's not always easy to set the creative wheels in motion. This 10-week class will guide you through the development of your first draft.

More about class with Gina: Gina believes that the classroom is a place to get to know yourself, your process, and your creative language as a writer. Class sessions will include a combination of writing exercises and sharing sessions, where you read each other’s pages out loud and respond to that work. Writers will bring in sections of their play (around 15-18 pages) that they have questions about in alternating weeks as a way to delve into larger sections of storytelling. Participate and learn how to effectively give feedback and take ownership over your processes by crafting specific questions you have for the pages you bring in. Gina will encourage you to think outside of chronological order when writing, embracing the energy of what is most exciting to you instead of creating a set course for yourself. As a way to set up strong habits as a writer outside the classroom, Gina will give writing assignments every week to help develop a creative routine between sessions. This class is an opportunity for writers to continue expanding both your creative practice and practical practice in the exploration of your work.

Gina often writes in poetic realism, and their work includes themes of queerness, sexuality, and gender exploration. Writers of all levels and styles are encouraged and welcome.

Learn more about Gina here.

Read more about First Draft here.

This class will be fully digital for sharing and reading pages. All pages will be shared via a class Google Drive folder, and we will use devices in class to read each other’s pages. Please come to class with a device (laptop, tablet, etc) and a charger/power cord for your device. If you are unable to bring your own device, please contact ESPA Administration.