Atelier

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In this course, led by critically acclaimed comedy writer Albert Samuels, students will participate in the in-process television pitch used by Samuels' cutting-edge improvisation group, Baby Wants Candy, including finalizing concept and script and developing a strong pitch. By the end of the semester, BWC will have a finished pitch package the group will present to Netflix, Amazon, Comedy Central and other networks/outlets. Students will develop their own original television concepts both in teams and individually, and also create shorter material - e.g., desk bits for late night shows, online content, etc.

How do you take an old-fashioned art form like the classical oratorio and turn it into a vibrant piece of contemporary theater? Join composer/lyricist Georgia Stitt, founder of Maestra Music, and director Schele Williams ("Motown: The Musical") as they do exactly that. Using poems, texts from a variety of the world's holy books, bits of public speeches and reclaimed hymns, Stitt musically examines religion as both divider and unifier. Our semester will focus on bringing the piece into a theatrical space—how are the ancient and modern communicating through orchestrations, dance, video projections, and physicality?

This course will use the reconstruction of Evelyn Brown, a movement piece by María Irene Fornés, to interrogate questions of female labor and its portrayal on stage. Fornés, arguably the most important Latina dramatist of the 20th century, sourced Evelyn Brown from the diary of an early 20th century New England domestic servant. The class will explore the relation of Evelyn Brown to Fornés' larger body of work and lead to deeper questions about staging mundane labor as performance during our time when labor inequality has grown exponentially. Our final project will be a first step to re-staging this little-known work in a professional venue.