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

Thursdays from 6:00pm – 9:00pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $520

RETURNING STUDENT RATE $480

Whether you're writing your first play or your hundredth, it's not always easy to set the creative wheels in motion. This 8-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 Calamity: This course is designed for writers looking for a supportive, enthusiastic, and collaborative environment to put their playwriting fundamentals to the test. Being run as a true writer's workshop, this course asks that playwrights enter the space with an idea for their new play. Together with Calamity, you'll develop living documents for each of your works that will help you navigate your way through your individual creative processes along with developing road maps for your dramatic works. Playwrights will be expected to complete weekly writing exercises for character development in addition to generating new pages for your first draft. By the end of this course, you will have a better understanding of your individual process, the confidence to enter a workshop space within the industry itself, and most importantly – a complete first draft.

Learn more about Calamity here.

Learn more about First Draft here.

February 26, March 5, 12, April 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14

Thursdays from 6:30pm – 9:30pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $520

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $480

If you’re just stepping into the world of playwriting, welcome! In this 8-week class, playwright, director, and lyricist Tasha Gordon-Solomon 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 get down to basics.
• 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 of structure, character, and dialogue.
• Complete writing exercises to gain an understanding of the form and generate ideas for material.
• Start to write your own play by the end of the semester.

By the end of this class you will:

• Have a strong grasp on writing for the stage, armed with the confidence you need to declare yourself a playwright and get to work on your script.
• Be ready for The First Draft!

Learn more about Tasha here.

Thursday, March 26

6:00pm – 7:30pm ET

via Zoom

Join Primary Stages Artistic Director Erin Daley to go behind the scenes for what it takes to bring a new play from the page to the stage.

For our upcoming production of CALF SCRAMBLE by Libby Carr, you will read the script and watch the production in advance of class and then delve into the work with Erin with an eye toward dramaturgy and the new play development process. You’ll explore how an idea evolves into a cohesive production, fueled by inquiry and collaboration. Beyond getting a deeper understanding of this play, you'll be able to incorporate dramaturgical practice into your work as a writer, actor, producer, 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 CALF SCRAMBLE. (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, how new play development works, 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 new play development and dramaturgy.
• 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 Libby Carr’s CALF SCRAMBLE:

Deep in a dusty East Texas barn, five teenage girls raise calves and wrestle with what it means to be good – at school, at God, at girlhood. CALF SCRAMBLE is a fiercely original, darkly funny coming-of-age tale soaked in sweat, scripture, and competition, where faith is tangled with survival, and tenderness bucks like a wild animal.

Learn more about CALF SCRAMBLE and instructor Erin Daley.