Introduction to Playwriting
Have you ever wanted to write a play? Have you ever thought about trying out a new writing style, but didn’t know where to start? Start here! Start now!
Join New Jersey-based playwright Mikaela Simon to learn the fundamentals of writing a script over the course of this six-session class. Begin your learning with an introduction to structure, format, dialogue, monologues, characters, dramatic action, and storytelling for the stage. Using visual mediums, take the time to explore theatricality and playmaking. Find out how playwriting differs from other writing styles using the “show or tell” method, then get the chance to bring your own ideas to life. By the end of the fifth session, you’ll have your very own scene/scenes from which to expand your work on your own. In your sixth session, we will share these scenes in a reading for your friends and family. All the world is a stage–it’s time to add your voice to it.
Learn:
- The structure and formatting of a play
- An understanding of the elements of a play and how to use them
- The ability to continue writing long-form work (ten minutes, one acts, full-lengths, etc.)
This workshop is for adults (18+).
About the Instructor: Mikaela Simon (she/they) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Jersey City, NJ. Working primarily in the mediums of collage and playwriting, Mikaela finds that their background in performing arts helps to inform their visual creative process. In 2019, Mikaela earned her BA in Theatre Arts from Drew University, where she spent a significant amount of time designing and writing. Her art training began long before that, at her parents’ kitchen table in Shiloh, NJ where her art teacher mother would allow her and her younger brother to make messes and experiment with paint, ink, scissors, and glue. This laid a foundation of permission to play, something she brings with her in all artistic pursuits. When she’s not writing or collaging, she works as a teaching artist at libraries and schools, spends time working in exhibition production in museums, and organizes with Food Not Bombs JC. They love the month of October, cooking in their crockpot, and their dogs, Breezy and Luna.