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.

April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20

Wednesdays from 6:30pm – 9:30pm ET

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

NEW STUDENT RATE: $520

RETURNING STUDENT RATE: $480

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 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 Iraisa: In this class, writers should be ready to take the work seriously, but not themselves seriously. Be open to closing your eyes and thinking of a character, or coming up with a story from magazine cut-outs and random google searches. Be ready to write a lot. Be ready to make a mess. Be ready to show up for other students. Be ready for feedback and realize your play was not at all what you thought it was going to be. Be ready to surrender preconceived ideas you had about your characters. 

Before the first class, you’ll answer a series of questions provided by Iraisa Ann so she can get to know you and your point of view. You will spend the first couple of classes completing exercises and reading assignments that will help guide you toward your first draft. In the remaining 6 weeks, class time will be focused on sharing pages and hearing work out loud. By the end of class, you’ll have an understanding of your characters’ wants, needs, and desires that you then can begin shaping in a rewriting process. 

Iraisa Ann’s plays are tragi-comedies. She believes that sad things are funny and funny things are sad. She’s not a linear thinker, and therefore her plays often play with time and spiritual worlds. As an educator, she believes her job is to give a student notes that align with their personal style and goals as a writer. Most of her plays are bilingual (in English and Spanish) and often deal with the Latine experience in the US. A lot of plays take place in New Jersey because she grew up there and is proud of it (unironically).

Learn more about Iraisa 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.