Introduction to Playwriting

About the Course

This course is designed for beginning playwrights as well as writers of other media who want to explore the genre. The course will emphasize what makes a scene work, how to develop characters through dialogue and action, and how to think in theatrical terms. Over the course of eight weeks, assignments will focus on points of attack, conflict, resolution, text, and subtext while also addressing character, plot, structure, language, and theme. At the conclusion of the quarter, students will have a full understanding of how to write scenes that are dramatic, engaging, and entertaining.

This course is taught by Douglas Post, an instructor at the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. Post is a founding of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble. His plays and musicals have been produced in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Canada, England, Wales, Germany, Austria, Russia, China, and South Africa. Post has received the L. Arnold Weissberger Playwriting Award, the Midwestern Playwrights Festival Award, the Cunningham Commission Award, the Blue Ink Playwriting Award, and three Playwriting Fellowship Awards from the Illinois Arts Council, and has been nominated for three Jeff Awards and an Emmy Award.

Notes: 
 
This course takes place via Zoom and leverages the Canvas platform for materials and occasional class discussion.   

The deadline for registration is September 24, 2024, at 5 p.m. Enrollment is limited to 10 students, so early registration is strongly encouraged.  

Tuition: $675

About the Instructor

Doug Post

Writer’s Studio Instructor

Doug Post is a founding member of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble. His plays and musicals have been produced in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Canada, England, Wales, Germany, Austria, Russia, China, and South Africa. Post has received the L. Arnold Weissberger Playwriting Award, the Midwestern Playwrights Festival Award, the...

Doug Post is a founding member of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble. His plays and musicals have been produced in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Canada, England, Wales, Germany, Austria, Russia, China, and South Africa. Post has received the L. Arnold Weissberger Playwriting Award, the Midwestern Playwrights Festival Award, the Cunningham Commission Award, the Blue Ink Playwriting Award, and three Playwriting Fellowship Awards from the Illinois Arts Council, and has been nominated for three Jeff Awards and an Emmy Award.