September 16, 23, 30, October 7, 21, 28, November 4, 18, 25, December 2

Mondays from 7:30pm – 10:30pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $540

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $520

The application process and personalized artistic statement are deeply dreaded, but required, aspects of most playwright development opportunities. This 10-week class will help you conquer the overwhelming task of writing about yourself and your work.

This class might be for you if:

• You are applying or planning to apply to play development labs, summer conferences, MFA programs, grants, or fellowships that require an artistic statement.
• Your current artistic statement isn’t highlighting your unique voice and vital perspective.
• You feel overwhelmed and defeated when applying for playwriting programs…or avoid applying for them altogether. 

In this class you will:

• Complete a mock application essay prior to the start of the workshop as a jumping-off point.
• Through a series of in-class and at-home exercises and discussions, develop ways to make your applications both personal and professional – and more competitive.
• Utilize the time between class sessions to rework your artistic statement so you can make strong revisions.
• Led by Stefanie, engage in discussions articulating how your work is both relevant and unique.
• Use all that you’ve learned over the semester to bring in and present a full application that you would like to submit in the future.

By the end of this class you will have:

• A solid working draft of a compelling artistic statement.
• A completed application of your choosing that put into practice the skills you have learned.
• The know-how to mold and reshape your artistic statement and application to best fit any opportunity.

Learn more about Stefanie here.

September 23, 30, October 7, 21, 28, November 11, 18, 25, December 2, 9
*Please hold December 16 as a potential make up date

Mondays from 6:00pm – 9:00pm ET

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

*Please note that class on November 11 will be held at Page 73's offices, located at 80 Hanson Place in Brooklyn, as ARTNY is closed for Veteran's Day.

NEW STUDENT RATE: $580

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $560

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

September 23, 30, October 7, 21, 28, November 4, 11, 18, December 2, 16

Mondays from 6:30pm – 9:30pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $580

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $560

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. Open to new and returning students located anywhere in the world, this class will be run just like a real-life writing room, interacting with your instructor and classmates live either in person or via Zoom.

More about class with Matthew: Matthew believes in putting the playwright in charge of their own process, with each writer asking questions regarding what they were working on specifically or are needing support with, as opposed to giving prescriptive notes. In the beginning, students will bring in 8-10 pages to share each week, and depending on the needs and wants of the group, this may evolve into students alternating weeks to bring in larger sections of work. As a class, you’ll read the work, give space for the playwright to ask questions, then share your experience with the pages and (if useful to the playwright) offer neutral questions/opinions. Though the class is primarily focused on bringing in pages, you might be encouraged to write for sake of discovery – such as writing exploratory scenes that would never be in the final play, trying exercises on your scene to see what it unearths.

Matthew most often writes in a theatricality where the rules of naturalism don’t necessarily function in the way we are used to. He does a lot of research for his work, so some of his historically-driven plays use realism, but the world of the play is still often very theatricalized.

Learn more about Matthew here.

Learn more about First Draft here.