Thursday, March 20 

6:00pm – 7:30pm ET

via Zoom

The dramaturg's job is to read between the lines and enhance a script with specificity and accuracy. This 1-night workshop will teach you to watch and read a play from the perspective of a dramaturg and see what you've been missing. For our upcoming production of Chisa Hutchinson’s Amerikin, you will read the script and watch the production in advance of class and then delve into the work with Primary Stages Artistic Director Erin Daley. With your eyes opened, you'll be able to incorporate dramaturgical practice into your work as a writer, actor, or director.

This workshop might be for you if you:

• Would like the ability to translate what you see on stage to your own work.
• Are a theater artist seeking to refine your analytical skills when talking about live theater.
• Are a theater lover who would like a new perspective on what you see.

In this workshop you will:

• Read the script and watch a performance of the Primary Stages production of Chisa Hutchinson’s Amerikin prior to the class date. (Tickets will be provided for students at no additional cost.)
• Meet with your class after viewing the production. Erin will facilitate a class discussion about the production, exploring the questions of why this play, in this place, at this time.
• Discuss what it means to be a dramaturg, what dramaturgical inquiry is, and how you can incorporate dramaturgical practice into your work no matter your role in a production.

By the end of this workshop you will:

• Have a better understanding of the role of a dramaturg and dramaturgy in any play.
• Be able to bring dramaturgy into your work as a writer, actor, or director.
• Be equipped to see any production with a more discerning eye.

About Chisa Hutchinson’s Amerikin

In small-town Maryland, Jeff Browning resolves to give his newborn son every possible advantage – by joining a local white supremacist group. When his attempt to join is thwarted by some surprising ancestry test results, the line between “us” and “them” gets incredibly blurry. Jeff scrambles to maintain appearances, but his sanitized story starts to unravel when a prominent Black journalist and his daughter start asking questions.

Both bitterly funny and deeply compassionate, Amerikin explores the lengths we go to protect our own, the lies we tell ourselves, and the cost of division on us all.

Learn more about Erin here.

Content Transparency

In an effort to care for our community, we’re sharing details about this production that may be sensitive for members of our audience. The following information may reveal plot points.

Contains racial slurs, smoking, post-partum depression, descriptions of suicide, and a visible gun.

Weekend 1: Curing The Block - Stretching Your Creative Muscles

Weekend 2: Building Blocks - Writing Your First Draft

Two-weekend workshop
March 21-23 and 28-30 

Fridays from 6:30pm – 9:00pm ET
Saturdays from 11:00am – 6:00pm ET
Sundays from 12:00pm – 6:00pm ET 

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $440

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $420

Whether you’re battling writer’s block, intimidated by the blank page, or are just too overwhelmed to make time for yourself to write, this bootcamp is designed to give you the jolt of inspiration you need to get your ideas on the page. Over the course of two weekends, playwright, director, and dramaturg Mêlisa Annis will lead you through a generative writing process to complete a messy first draft of a play. 

Whether you’re battling writer’s block, intimidated by the blank page, or are just too overwhelmed to make time for yourself to write, this bootcamp is designed to give you the jolt of inspiration you need to get your ideas on the page. Over the course of two weekends, playwright, director, and dramaturg Mêlisa Annis will lead you through a generative writing process to complete a messy first draft of a play. 

This workshop might be for you if you:

• Are a playwright with a seed of an idea that you'd like to explore in a fun, focused, and intensive environment.
• Need a jumpstart to get creative ideas out of your head and onto the page.

In this workshop:

• The first weekend is about inspiration. Use writing exercises and in-class discussion to bypass your critical mind, generate material without judgement, and kick off your first draft. 
• Take the time between the two weekends to process, dream, research, and focus on an idea, character, or world. 
• Fueled by your first weekend, use the second weekend to write and share, focus your ideas, and expand your writing into a messy first draft.

By the end of class you will have: 

• A solid start on—or even complete!—messy first draft of your next play.
• Notes, feedback, and next steps to continue your play outside of the bootcamp setting. 
• New writing exercises if you ever find yourself stuck and need some inspiration.

Learn more about Mêlisa here.