Play & Write! The Commons Short Play Festival 🎭
Have a topic you want to dig deeper and share through storytelling? Want to try what it's like to write a play? Need more confidence in your writing? This class will help you find your creative voice through playwriting, open to writers of all levels/backgrounds. At the end, we will put on a staged reading of original scripts written in the class at the Commons! It's super low stakes and fun - imagine when you are kids and you put on a holiday living-room show for your family and friends - this is the adult version. The point is to have fun and lean in to the "play" of writing!
Schedule (subject to change)
Feb 11 - Week 1 Introductions
Feb 18 - Week 2 How to Research
Feb 25 - Week 3 Playwriting Basics
Mar 3 - Week 4 Improv Games
Mar 10 - Week 5 Workshops
Mar 17 - Week 6 Workshops
Mar 24 - Week 7 1-1 Revision Meetings
Mar 31 - Week 8 Rehearsal
Apr 5-7 - Week 9 The Commons Short Play Festival
My goal 📚 for the class is to guide you like a peer writer and help you find your voice and style. Obviously, there is the American naturalistic dialogue-based play, or Shakespearian English (which I'm not super good at so I won't teach you that). But I encourage folks to experiment with different mediums and be creative - there is no one right way to write a play!
A quick intro about me - My name is Xinyuan Pu. I am currently working as a playwright, producer, and theatre teacher in the Bay Area. I've mentored middle-school-to-college-level writers and consulted for professional playwrights. I began playwriting as a medium to explore my cross-cultural identity. Over the years, I have written poetry, plays with music, devising (scripts created by an ensemble), and solo performances.
The cost for all 8 classes + Festival will be $600/person. You will have to dedicate time outside of the class to write and read but I promise it will be rewarding! Come to the first class to see if this is your cup of tea, but after that the rest of the sessions will be closed for registration.
Please feel free to email me with any questions you have 😊
(For Commons members who want to participate in the Festival, feel free to send me an email if you want to be an actor, designer, or volunteer.)