This generative/workshop-based class is dedicated to empowering emerging dramatists to hone the timbre of their voice, and deepen their understanding of the craft of playwriting. Sessions will be an even mix of generating/workshopping student material, dissecting the work of great dramatists, open discussion, and a variety of writing exercises and prompts all dedicated towards sparking students’ creative impulse. Writers will be led on an in-depth exploration of character development, the essence of plot structure, the importance of theatricality, and how to write dynamic and vibrant action between characters, in order to propel their play forward. All 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.

Ean Miles Kessler is a playwright, theater educator, storyteller, and horse trainer. His jobs have run the gamut: he’s processed poultry, worked briefly at Fedex loading trucks, bartended in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and is currently a ranch hand in Montana, where he gentles 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,” and “Thieves of Shakespeare.” He is thrilled to be back working with his Chicago family.

A holistic approach to dramaturgy, this master class focuses on a writer’s play as a whole, allowing students to examine both the micro and macro within their work. Writers will bring in one complete, full length play to be workshopped over the course of the class. Each play will receive an in depth script evaluation from the instructor, and every session will focus on the work of 2-3 writers, ensuring that each play receives the full attention it deserves. Utilizing a specific set of dramaturgical questions, (as led by the instructor) writers will then receive notes and critiques, in a workshop-based approach from their fellow students. With a strong emphasis on dramatic structure, thematic layering, character development, and the importance of change over the course of a play, writers will be asked to explore both the minutiae of each scene, as well as the larger themes and arcs they are working to create. Students will be required to read the work of their fellow writers each week, in order to facilitate in depth critique. The course will culminate in a Saturday Series Reading of select scenes. Writers accepted by submission only.

Ean Miles Kessler is a playwright, theater educator, storyteller, and horse trainer. His jobs have run the gamut: he’s processed poultry, worked briefly at Fedex loading trucks, bartended in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and is currently a ranch hand in Montana, where he gentles 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,” and “Thieves of Shakespeare.” He is thrilled to be back working with his Chicago family.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Now starting its 16th year, this weekly workshop for experienced playwrights offers writing tools, professional actors, and constructive group feedback to help you write or revise your play. 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.

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.