ARTT-285 Hope Seminar: Playwrights Workshop

Megel, Joseph and Onoda, Natsu

This is an intermediate/advanced playwriting workshop culminating in publicly staged readings/workshops of the plays developed in class. Students will be required to work on at least one one-act or full length plays throughout the semester. Students should come to the first class with several ideas for plays. Plays that are already in progress are acceptable for this class, as reworking and rewriting will become a major part of the workshop experience. Throughout the semester, students will be required to bring in ongoing work and/or revisions.
The class will meet weekly with faculty member Natsu Onoda, to consult with students on their progress and to attend several new play readings and workshops at professional theatres throughout the D.C. area. After an initial consultation at the beginning of the semester, Prof. Megel will come to Georgetown to conduct three intensives throughout the semester, where all plays in progress will be discussed and on-on-one sessions with each writer will be scheduled.
During the class, each student will also be required to take an active part in discussions of other students’ work. The course will also focus on issues of revision, strong dramaturgy, and effective new work development. This course will be modeled after a variety of successful professional new play development processes (including Prof. Megel’s process, developed during his six year tenure at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey).
Though students may work on more than one piece throughout the semester, each will be required to have comp0leted and reworked one full-length or one-act script by the end of the semester. They will also be required to work collaboratively with Prof. Megel who will serve as director of their work during the staged reading/workshop process. During this process, rewriting and reworking will be required.

Students interested in a more intensive repertory experience should consider taking Summer Performance Ensemble as a compliment to this course.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor or Program Director Only.

Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:

• 2005-2006 Fall and Spring
• 2012-2013 Fall and Spring

More information
Look for this course in the schedule of classes.

The academic department web site for this program may provide other details about this course.