
Leap into the new year with us and create your next great work! We happily accept students from all around the world and invite you to study with us virtually. Take the leap and join us here at Chicago Dramatists!!
Register before December 10th to receive 20% off select classes!!
Winter Classes
Crafting Darkness (Online)
7 Sundays
Jan 07 – Feb 18
10:00am – 1:00pm CT
Instructor: Ean Miles Kessler
This course encourages writers to explore and examine the darkest elements of the human condition; to tell stories that both horrify and fascinate. More importantly, it students must tackle these themes with grace, compassion, and to infuse those stories with a sense of theatrical beauty.
Class Description
Villains, and stories that explore the darker elements of humanity, have always held a strange allure and fascination, both for writers and audiences alike. It is not a thing we can help: we all find ourselves strangely drawn to the terror that lurks beneath those stories. Yet in writing these plays, the question remains: How do we, as artists, explore dark subject matter and themes–those plays that expose the darkest parts of the human condition–without alienating our audiences, or glorifying the darkness we are attempting to explore? How do we craft villains who both horrify and excite us? Those who both repel us, and whose magnetism we cannot seem to peel our eyes from? And how do we bring moments of savagery to the stage, imbuing them with some kind of grotesque beauty? Those questions and aims lie at the heart of this generative/workshop based course. Students will explore how to develop vibrant, wildly human villains and anti-heroes; how to bring moments of true darkness to the stage in truthful and thrilling ways; and how to tell stories that explore themes and dramatic moments that simultaneously horrify and fascinate an audience. With gentle dramaturgical guidance from the instructor, students will develop original work, and as a class we will examine each writers’ fresh pages together. Sessions will be an even mix of generating/workshopping student material, dissecting the work of great playwrights, open discussion, and a variety of writing exercises and prompts, to spur writers to put pen to paper. Students will have the option to bring in work they’ve developed previously to be workshopped within class, or can develop pieces during the course of the class itself. The course will culminate in an online reading of student work, read by professional actors and performed for an invited audience.
Teacher Bio
Ean Miles Kessler is a playwright and theater educator. His jobs have run the gamut: he’s processed poultry, bartended in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and has worked as a ranch hand and horse trainer in Montana, gentling mustangs. A Rutgers BFA Acting graduate, Ean studied at Shakespeare’s Globe in England under esteemed director and Tony nominee Tim Carroll. His plays have been produced nationally and internationally, and his work has been published by Vintage Books. His plays have been developed with a variety of companies, including: The Playwrights’ Center, Chicago Dramatists Saturday Series, and Naked Angels among others. Previously, Ean was the Network Director at Chicago Dramatists, where he taught “Deconstructing the American West,” “Thieves of Shakespeare: Race, Class, & Gender,” “Intermediate Playwriting,” “Thieves of Shakespeare: The Art of Tragedy,” and “The Cohort: A Dramaturgy Masterclass.” He is thrilled to be working alongside his Chicago family.
Course Details
Session Dates | Jan 07, 14, 21, 28 Feb 04, 11, 18 |
Experience Level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Available Discounts | Network, Early Bird |
Playwriting Fundamentals (Online)
7 Wednesdays
Jan 10 – Feb 28
6:00 – 9:00pm CT
Instructor: Marsha Estell
Students will learn the Core Principles of dramatic writing by analyzing/discussing published work. Explore their unique voice, through writing exercises, and creating 10 minute plays or the first 20 – 30 pages of a larger work. They will give and receive constructive feedback to cohorts.
Class Description
Discover, Explore, Experiment, and write!
Discover the core principles of dramatic writing by reading established plays.
Explore your unique voice through writing exercises.
In Fundamentals, you will become familiar with the components of dramatic structure and format, receive tools to explore your unique voice and how to give and receive usable feedback, grasp the difference between dialog and conversation, and will write a 10-minute play or 1st 10 pages of a larger work by applying what you have learned.
Teacher Bio
Marsha Estell is a resident playwright alumna at Chicago Dramatists, 2010 3Arts/Ragdale Fellow, and recipient of the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for Playwriting. Her plays include Heat, which had its world premiere at Chicago Dramatists and was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Outstanding New Work and many other award-winning works. She teaches playwriting, and solo performance workshops around the country. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, SAG/AFTRA and Actors Equity.
Course Details
Session Dates | Jan 10, 17, 24 Feb 07, 14, 21, 28 No class on Jan 31 |
Experience Level | Beginner |
Available Discounts | Network, Early Bird |
“Scene Shop” Play Development: Thursday Nights (Online)
SOLD OUT!! JOIN THE WAITLIST
7 Thursdays
Jan 18 – Mar 14
6:30pm – 9:30pm
OR
“Scene Shop” Play Development: Saturday Mornings (Online)
SOLD OUT!! JOIN THE WAITLIST
7 Saturdays
Jan 20 – Mar 16
10:00am – 1:00pm
Instructor: Will Dunne
Designed as an ongoing resource for experienced playwrights and now in its 17th year, Scene Shop offers weekly character, scene, and story tools to help you develop your script, professional actors to read your work, and constructive group feedback to help you evaluate your progress.
Class Description
Designed as an ongoing resource for experienced playwrights and now in its 16th year, Scene Shop offers weekly character, scene, and story tools to help you develop your script, professional actors to read your work, and constructive group feedback to help you evaluate your progress. If you ever need to miss a session, you can always make it up in the other Scene Shop section that week. Workshop members are eligible to participate in the Scene Shop Showcase, a night of staged readings presented twice yearly in the Russ Tutterow Theatre.
Teacher Bio
Will Dunne is the author of THE DRAMATIC WRITER’S COMPANION (2009, Second Edition 2017), THE ARCHITECTURE OF STORY (2016), and CHARACTER, SCENE, AND STORY (2017) all published internationally by the University of Chicago Press. His plays have been presented worldwide in three languages and earned numerous honors, including three selections by the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center for the U.S. National Playwrights Conference, a Charles MacArthur Fellowship awarded by the O’Neill for outstanding comedy, four Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, two DramaLogue Playwriting Awards, and a Best-of-Year mention from the San Francisco Examiner. He also has been nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Play and twice been named a finalist for the Heideman Award at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Thursday Details
Session Dates | Jan 18, 25 Feb 08, 15, 22 Mar 07, 14 No classes on Feb 01, 29 |
Experience Level | Intermediate, Advanced |
Available Discounts | Network |
Saturday Details
Session Dates | Jan 20, 27 Feb 10, 17, 24 Mar 09, 16 No classes on February 3rd or March 2nd. |
Experience Level | Intermediate, Advanced |
Available Discounts | Network |
Intermediate Playwriting (Online)
7 Thursdays
Jan 18 – Feb 29
6:00pm – 9:00pm CST
Instructor: Nina Morrison
This generative/workshop-based class is dedicated to helping dramatists hone their artistic voice, and deepen their understanding of the craft of playwriting. Writers will explore character development, plot structure, theatricality, and how to craft dynamic and vibrant action between their characters. The course will culminate in an online reading of student work, read by professional actors and performed for an invited audience.
Class Description
In this course, we will focus on generating new work and discovering the processes and methods that best support your ongoing writing practice. Each week, writing prompts and page count goals will be given. Everyone will share their work out loud and receive structured feedback from the instructor and fellow students. Students can expect to leave the class with at least 40 pages of new work.
Teacher Bio
Nina Morrison is a playwright, screenwriter and stage director. Her plays have been presented in New York City at Dixon Place, Fordham University, the HOT! Festival of Queer Performance, the NY International Fringe Festival, and the Little Theatre series, among others. She was a finalist for New Dramatists in 2018 and 2019, as well as a finalist for the Jerome in 2019. Nina was the Provost’s Postgraduate Visiting Writer in Playwriting 2019-2020 at the University of Iowa. She was also the recipient of an artist’s residency at Dixon Place and a WORKSPACE writer’s residency at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. MFA Iowa Playwrights Workshop. ninamorrison.com
Course Details
Session Dates | Jan 18, 25 Feb 01, 08, 15, 22, 29 |
Experience Level | This class is specifically designed for writers at the intermediate level. Prerequisite – Playwriting Fundamentals, or permission of the Instructor. |
Available Discounts | Early Bird, Network |
Speak Freely – The Art of Dialogue (Online)
2 Mondays
6:00 – 9:00 PM CT
Jan 22nd & 29th
Instructor: Michael Bassett
Engage with other playwrights and actors to explore the nuisances of conversational dialogue.
Class Description
This two-day workshop introduces exercises designed to explore contemporary dialogue. On the first day, we engage other writers through conversation and bootcamp exercises. On the second day, we provide actors for insight, feedback and extending the exercises of day one.
Teacher Bio
For over a decade, Michael Bassett has taught playwriting, screenwriting, and dramatic structure & theatrical process at Loyola University Chicago. As an actor & playwright, Michael was a member of the celebrated Circle Rep Lab (Circle East) in New York. His plays have been produced in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. He is a two-time Hawthorndon Fellowship recipient, received a Sloan Science and Technology Commission, and was a keynote speaker for the Arts/Science International Conference at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. He has won honors at the Hiroshima, Athens and Rochester Film and Video festivals respectively for his experimental film, The Other. He was one of the film editors for Hyperbaric Productions award-winning documentary, By the People. He has written and directed a number of projects through 13Carat Productions, (13carat.com) including Theatre, Dance, Film, Photography, and Multi-Media installations.
Course Details
Session Dates | January 22nd and 29th |
Experience Level | Beginner, Intermediate |
Available Discounts | Network |
Solo Show & Storytelling: The Sound & Fury (Online)
7 Tuesdays
Feb 06 – Mar 26
6:00 – 9:00pm CST
Instructor: Arlene Malinowski
Get your voice onto a stage and into the world. This workshop is designed for storytellers, actors, solo artists and writers of all levels – who want to work on the development of a one-person show or story for the stage.
Class Description
This workshop is designed for solo artists & storytellers, actors, playwrights and lovers of words of all levels – who want to work on the development of a one-person show or story for the stage. The class will focus on: 1. Cultivating your unique style and the voice of your story. 2- Rubrics for creating the world of the play. The universal truth, inciting incident and quest. 3- Designing structure, development of plot, characters and techniques to manipulate storyteller/audience relationship. This can include work at any stage of development from an idea to a finished piece. Each week offers an opportunity to develop material, class exercises and time to work individually to get personalized coaching with the goal of getting your work in the world. I am here to be your cheerleader and vision keeper. Bring your ideas, an open mind and your a sense of adventure!
Teacher Bio
Arlene Malinowski has been performing and teaching Solo & Story for over 25 years. Her award-winning solo works have been performed throughout the US and internationally. She views her solo work as an artistic expression of her social justice work in the area of Deafness and disability. Her plays include, A Little Bit Not Normal, Full Disclosure, Aiming for Sainthood, What Does the Sun Sound Like, Interrobang and It’s Whampo, Time. She is the recipient of 3Arts/UIC fellowship, LA Ovations award, LA Garland Award. Finalist in New Plays from Heartland, semi-finalist Blue Ink award, and the O’Neil. As an actor and storyteller, she has performed on stages in LA and Chicago including Goodman, Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens. She has taught at College of the Canyons and Master-classes nationwide. She is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists where she’s developed the Solo & Story curriculum.
Course Details
Session Dates | Feb 06, 13, 27 Mar 05, 12, 19, 26 NO CLASS FEB 20 |
Experience Level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Available Discounts | Network |
Advanced Playwriting (Online)
7 Wednesdays
6:00pm – 9:00pm CT
Feb 07 – Mar 27
Instructor: William Missouri Downs
An advanced class for playwrights who have written one or more plays and want to fine-tune their writing. Sessions will concentrate on cultivating story, characters, and dialogue. In addition, we will cover how to get produced.
Class Description
This is a workshop class where playwrights present their work and are given notes on how to polish their writing. Particular attention is given to editing, character development, making a story theatrical, and writing robust, interesting dialogue.
Tom Stoppard said that words can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. Words, he said, “deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little…” This class will help you do a little nudging.
Teacher Bio
William Missouri Downs has written everything from NBC sitcoms to Kabuki tragedies. He’s had over 350 productions of his comedies and musicals and won numerous writing awards, including two rolling premieres from the National New Play Network. He’s twice been a finalist at the Eugene O’Neill. His plays have been produced in Spain, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, India, UAE, Australia, South Korea, and the USA. He’s published 14 plays with Concord, Playscripts, Heuer, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and Next Stage Press. In Hollywood he wrote for several NBC sitcoms and sold/optioned movies and TV pilots. He published four books on the art of theatre, including Naked Playwriting. He has two MFAs, one in screenwriting from UCLA and a second in acting from the University of Illinois. He was trained in playwriting by Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt at the Circle Rep Theater in New York. (www.williammissouridowns.com)
Course Details
Session Dates | Feb 07, 21, 28 Mar 06, 13, 20, 27 No class on 02/14 |
Experience Level | Advanced |
Applicable Discounts | N/A |
Conversations About Playwriting
Live @ Chicago Dramatists!
1 Saturday
10:00am – 1:00pm CT
Feb 10
Instructor: Martyna Majok
Ask me anything! This class is a hybrid Q&A-conversation. Please come prepared with 1-2 questions about anything playwriting related that may be most on your mind — whether that’s about craft, career, business, writing block. The purpose of this class is to commune with the concerns of your and your colleagues and share resources and life hacks amongst each other.
This workshop is available to Chicago Dramatists Network Playwrights ONLY.
Class Description
Ask me anything! This class is a hybrid Q&A-conversation. Please come prepared with 1-2 questions about anything playwriting related that may be most on your mind — whether that’s about craft, career, business, writing block. The purpose of this class is to commune with the concerns of your and your colleagues and share resources and life hacks amongst each other.
Though writing may be solitary, community is essential. Since we are often the only playwright in any rehearsal rooms, and as the pandemic has harmed many of our collective spaces, this class is an opportunity to question and share and, hopefully, to connect and inspire.
Teacher Bio
Martyna Majok was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her Broadway debut play, Cost of Living, which was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. Other plays include Sanctuary City, Queens, and Ironbound, which have been produced across American and international stages. Other awards include The Arthur Miller Foundation Legacy Award, The Obie Award for Playwriting, The Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Exceptional Playwriting, Hull-Warriner Award, The Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, Lanford Wilson Prize, Lilly Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Helen Merrill Prize, Helen Hayes Award, Jean Kennedy Smith, two Jane Chambers Awards, The Hermitage/Greenfield Prize, Francesca Primus Prize, and NYTW’s 2050 Fellowship. Gatsby, a new musical for which Martyna wrote the libretto with music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett, will premiere this spring at A.R.T. Martyna has developed TV projects for HBO and is writing feature films for Plan B/Pastel/MGM/Orion, MRC/T-Street and Participant.
Course Details
Session Dates | Saturday, Feb 10 Live at Chicago Dramatists |
Experience Level | Network Playwrights Only |
Applicable Discounts | N/A |
Writing For The Small Screen: From Broadcast to Streaming to Web (Online)
7 Saturdays
1:00pm – 4:00pm CT
Feb 17 – Mar 30
Instructor: Mary Ruth Clarke
Post-strike, television — in all its iterations — is hot. Producers are hungry for new voices and unique ideas. My students are succeeding – staffed on network and streaming shows, creating web series, and winning competitions.
Class Description
This class is for anyone who has an idea (comedy or drama, any genre) that could make a great episodic or limited series and who wants to learn the crucial basics of how to write it.
We will study and analyze successful pilots. We will tease out/explore the inherent possibilities in your idea, where it fits in the vast TV landscape, how to position the idea, what makes a great TV characters, visual storytelling, budgetary considerations, proper story structure, and formatting. And you will write and rewrite.
You will leave the workshop with:
• The makings of a pitch document
• A grasp of the show template, structure, core cast, and the ongoing character revelations as opposed to character development
• A grasp of the process of creation that optioned shows go through
• A better grasp of the language that writers/producers/agents speak
• The beginnings of a rough draft of a television pilot
Teacher Bio
Mary Ruth Clarke co-wrote and starred in the original Meet the Parents and co-adapted it into the blockbuster. Her dramedy Broadway, Ohio is a finalist in the Chicago Screenplay Awards, Page Turner Awards, and Sundance Labs. Her screenplay Alice and Celia and Whatever It Takes is a finalist for the Lit Laughs Comedy Film Festival and the Chicago Comedy Film Festival, the Chicago Screenplay Awards. She’s a playwright, also, and Resident Playwright alum at Chicago Dramatists.
Mary Ruth’s students have been staffed on Queens, Woke, and Family Reunion. She consults in LA and Chicago, and she has critiqued about a gazillion plays and screenplays. She’s a regular guest lecturer at the Chicago Screenwriter’s Network and the Off Campus Writer’s Group.
She is on the faculty of the Second City Film School, Chicago Dramatists, Story Studio and is a member of the Writer’s Guild and the Dramatists Guild.
Course Details
Session Dates | Feb 17, 24 Mar 02, 09, 16, 23, 30 |
Experience Level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Applicable Discounts | Early Bird, New Student, Network |
Chicago Dramatists Class Fee Policies
- If you cancel your registration more than ten days in advance of the class start date, you will be entitled to either a full refund of your money or a full credit applied to your account for future CD classes.
- If you cancel your registration fewer than ten days but more than three days before the class start date, you will be entitled to 50% of your class fee (minus a $20 administrative fee) applied to your account as a credit.
- If you cancel your registration less than three days before the class start date, there is unfortunately neither a credit nor refund option available.
- Classes that fail to meet the 50% minimum registrant requirement within 48 hours of class start time will be cancelled. In this case, registrants will receive a 100% refund.