The First Draft
Instructors:
Tasha Gordon-Solmon (Writer and Director, Faculty, NYU)
Crystal Skillman (Writer, King Kirby)
Caridad Svich (Writer, OBIE Winner for Lifetime Achievement)
This class will guide you through the development of your first draft, providing concrete deadlines, constructive feedback, and a collaborative environment to get your ideas on the page.
Rewriting Your Draft
Instructor: Stefanie Zadravec (Writer, The Electric Baby)
As soon as you finish your last line of dialogue, the need for rewrites begins. This class will help you tackle the revision process and develop a stronger version of your play.
Fundamentals of Playwriting with Melisa Annis and Crystal Skillman
Instructors:
Mêlisa Annis (Writer, Director, Dramaturg; Faculty, NYU)
Crystal Skillman (Writer, King Kirby)
Build a toolbox of the fundamentals, so your first play (and each play you write after that!) can be built on a strong foundation.
Tools of Dialogue
Instructor: Matthew Paul Olmos (Writer, so go the ghost of mexico at La Mama)
Dialogue is a key way to fully express character, relationships, and the world of the play. In this class, you'll hone your skills of dialogue writing in order to engage your audiences in a more meaningful way.
GET OUT (of your own way)
Instructor: Winter Miller (Writer, In Darfur at The Public)
An advanced class for writers who need to get out of their own head, releasing the idea of “should” and instead surrendering to the work.
TV Writing
Instructor: Daniel Talbott (Writer, "The Conners"; Artistic Director, Rising Phoenix Rep)
Learn the structure and language of television writing to develop a first draft of your pilot.
Screenwriting
Instructor: Daniel Talbott (Writer, "The Conners"; Artistic Director, Rising Phoenix Rep)
Apply the concepts of character development, visual storytelling, theme, plot, and dialogue to your own original film script.
Lyric Writing
Instructor: Adam Gwon (Writer, Scotland, PA and Ordinary Days at Roundabout)
Delve into the world of musicals and apply your existing storytelling impulses into a lyric format.
The Business of Theater
Instructor: John Gould Rubin (Artistic Director of The Private Theatre, Creator and Director of Turn Me Loose)
For theater artists of any discipline, learn about theater as a business in order to produce and better understand the priorities for your work no matter your role within a production.
Classes begin in February. Start and end dates vary. Click here for the full list of writing classes.
Our award-winning faculty, comprised of working professionals in the field, provides practical skills and expert guidance in a collaborative community atmosphere.
Primary Stages ESPA provides students easy and convenient payment plans to break up tuition. For more information, call 212.840.9705 x215 or email espa@primarystages.org.