Intro to Playwriting (with Kira Rockwell) - ONLINE
Are you interested in learning more about playwriting? Maybe you've started a play for the stage, and now you're in need of a supportive community to keep the fire going. Perhaps you're just curious to explore a new theatrical genre. In this course, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the art of playwriting. With craft-based writing exercises, group discussions, close readings of plays by contemporary playwrights such as Charly Evon Simpson, Kristoffer Díaz, Kimberly Bellflower, Qui Nguyen, and Julia Izumi, you'll be guided to developing a stronger hand at world building, character development, plot, dialogue, and the magic that is theatre. You will have the chance to hear your work read out loud by your classmates, learn best revision practices, as well as give and receive feedback that is rooted in the Liz Lerman Critical Response practice. This class is designed for writers with a flare for drama at all levels. By the end of the course, you will come away with a collection of monologues, scenes with stage directions, and a final draft of a ten-minute play! In parting, you will receive a list of curated resources for dramatists to keep you moving forward, as well as a non-exhaustive list of submission and development opportunities for your work. Level: Beginner. Limited to 10 writers.
WHEN: 6 Weeks: Wednesdays, September 7 - October 12 (6 - 8pm EST)
WHERE: Online, via Zoom video conference
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
KIRA ROCKWELL (she/her) is a playwright from the heart of Texas. She is a 2021 Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing with Mass Cultural Council, a recipient of the Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award, as well as a Runner-up for the Princess Grace Award, among others. Her plays have been supported by The Kennedy Center, National New Play Network, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Actor's Express, and Third Culture Theatre in partnership with HBO and Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, among others. Her neurodivergent love story is available through Original Works Publishing. Rockwell has a BFA in Theatre Performance and an MFA in Playwriting from Boston University. As an educator, Rockwell has taught playwriting/theatre at Wheaton College, Boston University, Hyde Square Task Force, and Grub Street. Through a trauma informed lens, she aims to nurture communal healing spaces that disrupt passivity and empower agency. Currently, she lives in Boston with her husband and their rescue pup, Koda.
WORKSHOP GOALS
- Learn about the craft and form of playwriting.
- Embrace your theatrical flare.
- Develop a ten minute play.
- Practice giving and receiving constructive feedback.
- Strengthen close reading skills.
- Grow in character development, dialogue, world building, plotting, scene building, and the magic that is theatre.
WEEK-BY-WEEK COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK ONE: Character Building; & Relationship – Discuss how characters are fleshed out and defined. Discuss how relationships are built;
WEEK TWO: Setting & World Building – Discuss the setting. How is it defined? How does it influence the characters, dialogue,
pace, and tone? What do we interpret is the playwright’s point of view of this setting?
What unique perspective are they trying to explore?
WEEK THREE: Conflict & Arcs – How a character changes or fails to change. With this definition in mind, take some time to reflect on how your play’s protagonist changes or fails to change;
WEEK FOUR: Ritual – What our characters do when they’re alone says a lot about who they are. Whether it’s smoking a secret cigarette, writing a love letter, or performing a sacred ritual, these moments create intimacy between the character and their audience. Really envision the moments of ritual happening onstage. How does this elevate the story? How does it deepen the theatrical experience? What does this ritual mean to the characters/audience?
WEEK FIVE: Movement & Body – embracing theatricality
WEEK SIX: Getting Your Work Out There – In parting, you will receive a list of curated resources for dramatists to keep you moving forward, as well as a non-exhaustive list of submission and development opportunities for your work.
RECEIVING THE ZOOM LINK: For one-day workshops, we send out the link to attend the Zoom session 1 - 2 days before the event, via email. For multi-week workshops, you should receive info and the link about a week before the first meeting. Please mark your calendars and look for our emails. If you don't see the email in your inbox on the day before the event (or a few days before, in the case of multi-week workshops), please check your spam and junk mail folders (and search all folders) for an email from joy@pioneervalleywriters.org. We have found that very often our emails end up in those folders. This is based on your own email settings, and you can prevent this by adding our email as a contact.
ONLINE SESSIONS happen remotely, via Zoom video conference. All you need is a laptop, computer, or phone with functioning audio and a webcam. Those who RSVP receive directions and a link to "join" the session via email (please see above note about receiving the Zoom link). All online instructors will log on to the video conference 10 minutes before the start of the session, to help anyone with technical issues, so please plan to log on early if you'd like assistance! We'll do everything in our power to help you get comfortable with this new format, though when the session begins, we will not be able to assist with technical difficulties.
REFUND & CREDIT POLICIES AT PVWW
If you withdraw from a workshop ten days or more before the start of the class: You'll receive full credit toward another workshop OR a full refund. If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive a refund minus 20%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or any refund, unless in the case of a medical emergency, or if we are able to fill your spot. If you are absent on the day of your workshop or miss it for any reason, we are unable to offer any kind of refund. If we have to cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund, or if you choose, credit in the amount of your payment, to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class will automatically be refunded. Please contact Joy (joy@pioneervalleywriters.org) for all matters concerning credit and refunds.