Courses

If you have something you're burning to say. If you're working out a big idea but haven't yet put it to paper. Or, if you're simply curious about playwriting and want to find your voice? Let's circle up.  In Character, Form and Dialogue, "Intro to Playwriting" students will learn the fundamentals of playwriting with an eye toward developing a new play.  The class will be run like a playwriting workshop: students will use exercises and prompts to generate writing, read pages-in-progress and give feedback to each other’s work.  Time will also be spent discussing playwriting fundamentals: play form and structure, character arcs, dialogue, scene work, and stakes.  Students will read contemporary ten-minute plays and recently produced full-lengths, as well as discuss the business of playwriting and early-career opportunities in NYC and beyond.

This playwriting course is about making it personal, telling a story, and building community. The class is focused on nurturing the individual voice of writers, diving deeper into craft and introducing new tools to unlock creativity. Each class will include time for questions about process and discuss working professionally in theater, film, and television.

Moment Work explores the theatrical potential of all the elements of the stage (props, sound, architecture, lights, costume, etc.) in order to create strong theatrical and dramatic narratives. In this class, students will foster an appreciation for the reexamination and exploration of theatrical form and theatrical and dramatic narratives. The semester will culminate with an in-class showcase of short, devised pieces created by the students. 

Students will be empowered to tell stories from history through engaging with special collections and primary historical sources. We will spark students' curiosity as we explore one specific historical event and work together over the course of six weeks to devise moments of theater. By the end of the course, we will create a short presentation of “Moments” by investigating the themes and dramatic throughlines that the material offers. This is much like what a first presentation might look like at Tectonic Theater Project, a proof of dramatic and theatrical concept.

Each session will begin with a quiet and reflective writing prompt, associated with the historical event that we are researching. Responses will be used over the course of the class to spark devised moments.

This course examines the rich legacy of theater in New York, from Broadway to Off- Broadway, encompassing the writers, directors, actors, institutions, and artists who laid the foundations of American theater and continue to shape the contemporary theatrical landscape. We will commence with an exploration of the roots of theater in NYC and how the city's growth is mirrored in the historic innovations of the art form. Each week will delve into theatrical forms and disciplines, examples of seminal texts, and current productions throughout the city. These investigations offer insights into the ways theater evolves into a quintessential New York event, guided by a producer who has shepherded award-winning shows from initial idea to Broadway for over three decades. Performances will include productions both on and off Broadway. Previous classes have attended shows at Lincoln Center Theater, Ensemble Studio Theater, Second Stage Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theater Club, the Roundabout Theater, St. Ann’s Warehouse, among others, featuring popular titles such as Sleep No More, Chicago, The Pillowman, What the Constitution Means to Me, etc. Shows for summer 2024 will be selected at the beginning of the course based on enrollment. 

SHOWS UNDER CONSIDERATION (subject to change, based on availability)--
BROADWAY: The Outsiders, Water for Elephants; OFF BROADWAY: Dark Noon (St Ann’s Warehouse), Odd Man Out (Here Arts Center). During the Summer Session the class typically attends: one show on Broadway; 2-3 shows Off Broadway; and1-2 special NY events. Course fee covers tickets for up to 6 performances during the session.

This course explores the dynamics of protest across the Americas through the lens of performance studies. Utilizing a decolonial and feminist framework, students will analyze a variety of protest performances. Using documentaries and audiovisual footage as primary sources, we will examine how embodied artistic actions challenge power structures and catalyze political mobilization. The course engages with a wide spectrum of movements and events, including the Civil Rights Movement, the protests against the dictatorships in Chile and Argentina, the Zapatista Movement, Black Lives Matter, ACT UP, and Idle No More. Through these cases, we will critically assess how performance is used as a tool for resistance, and social justice.