February 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27

Mondays from 6:00pm – 9:00pm ET

IN-PERSON at ART/NY Studios Midtown, located at 520 8th Avenue

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. Open to new and returning students, 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 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 (12-18 pages) every third week as a way to delve into larger sections of storytelling. 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.

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.

February 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Mondays from 7:30pm – 10:30pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $420

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $380

The application process and personalized artistic statement are deeply dreaded, but required, aspects of most playwright development opportunities. This 6-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 puts 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.

February 24, March 3, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5, 12

Tuesdays from 5:00pm – 8:00pm 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 Caridad: This class is run as a writers’ workshop. Caridad believes in an equitable and respectful writing room, sensitive to each person’s respective process, but also one where a vigorous, rigorous, and intuitive approach is manifest in establishing a group atmosphere. The sessions will be structured around response to work turned in (on average 5 to 8 pages a week) with pieces read out loud in the virtual room live in class with peer and instructor response time after each sharing of work using the Liz Lerman approach. At the beginning of the semester, you will determine if everyone will share work at every session or every other session. There will be occasional in-class writing exercises, and homework will be limited to recommended reading, prompts, and/or viewings assigned. In other words, the focus will be on your generative process, and as such, homework will be minimal outside of that.

Caridad’s writing focuses on human and environmental rights from a Latinx feminist perspective for the most part, though her work also explores deeply the reconfiguration of classic and modern texts, gender fluidity, and porous borders aesthetically and formally. She has also adapted novels to the stage and sustains a parallel career as a theatrical translator, editor, and artivist. Caridad’s work is often labeled by others as “poetic realism” or “atomized realism.”

Learn more about Caridad here.

Learn more about First Draft here.

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

Tuesdays from 6:00pm – 9:00pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $560

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $540

For the playwright, dialogue is one of the key ways to fully express character, relationships, and the world of the play. Through a series of dialogue exercises led by playwright Matthew Paul Olmos, you’ll hone your skills of dialogue writing in order to engage your audiences in a more meaningful way.

This class might be for you if you:

• Are a playwright of any level looking to deepen your work and enhance your dialogue skills.
• Want to stay committed to your writing without the pressure of having to write or work toward a draft of a play.
• Want concrete deadlines and constructive feedback specific to your dialogue skills.

In this class you will:

• Complete exercises and assignments to explore the tools of dialogue, specifically addressing characterization, exposition, over-writing, rhythm, and subtext.
• Study dialogue in other plays as sources of inspiration.
• Engage in discussion with fellow writers, making connections with your artistic peers.

By the end of this class you will have:

• The tools to create engaging, fully-formed dialogue that will compel audiences to lean into your work, as opposed to passively listening.
• A strong understanding of dialogue and be ready to apply it to your next play or draft.

Learn more about Matthew here.

February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24

Tuesdays from 7:00pm – 10:00pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $320

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $280

This 5-week class is for theater artists of any discipline to learn about theater as a business in order to produce your own work and better understand the priorities for your work no matter your role within a production.

This class might be for you if you are:

• A theater artist of any discipline (actor, writer, director, designer, and more) looking to create and produce your own work.
• An emerging producer looking to better understand the nuts and bolts of the business.
• An artist looking to better understand the business in order to gain clarity about priorities and know better how to advocate for their work.

In this class you will:

• Demystify the way theater actually takes place as a business.
• Discuss the differences between commercial and not-for-profit theater.
• Have a startlingly realistic introduction to fundraising for both donations and investments.
• Learn about and put into practice budgets, contracts, and option agreements.
• Survey the distinctions between productions and production budgets from Showcase Code to Broadway.

By the end of this workshop you will:

• Understand the ins and outs of theater as a business – from indie theater to Broadway.
• Possess the tools to embark on any producing project in an informed and prepared way.
• Better understand how you as an artist are pitching yourself to different types of theaters by understanding their business models.

Learn more about John here.

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.

March 4, 11, 18, 25, April 1, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13

Wednesdays from 7:30pm – 10:30pm ET

via Zoom

NEW STUDENT RATE: $580

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $560

As soon as you finish your last line of dialogue, the need for rewrites begins. This 10-week class will help you tackle the revision process and develop a stronger version of your play. 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 via Zoom. 

More on taking class with Stefanie: This class is geared toward empowering writers to guide their own play development process. Writers will begin by articulating their goals for their new draft. Then, writers will present sections of their plays (20-30 pages) every other week. Writers receive feedback and responses to the work from the group, filtered through a series of prompts given by Stefanie. These prompts are designed to respect the process of new play development, so each writer develops the tools and confidence to solve the problems of their play, and empowers them to steer conversations that are productive and helpful. Occasionally writers will be asked to complete writing exercises to help support, scene by scene, imagery and themes that emerge in their work.

Learn more about Stefanie here.

Learn more about Rewriting Your Draft here.