Atelier Courses

Atelier

Baby Wants Candy: Creating Comedy for Television

ATL 494 / CWR 494 / THR 494 · Fall 2022

C01 · Thursdays, 1:30-4:20 PM

Instructors: Al Samuels · Scott Eckert

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. Students will also work with and be mentored by guest artists and 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 to Write a Musical

ATL 498 / MTD 498 · Fall 2022

C01 · Wednesdays, 1:30-4:20 PM

Instructors: Greg Kotis · Mark Hollmann

Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, the Tony Award-winning writers of Urinetown The Musical, will lead a workshop in which students work in teams to write original 10-minute musicals. No experience necessary but each student will try their hand at writing book and lyrics and composing music and performing in the ten-minute musicals. We will study several points of craft including story structure, shaping material for an original musical, song structure, and the art of collaboration. Students will refine their understanding of these points throughout the practical work of writing the book, lyrics, and music of an original 10-minute musical.

Sex Variants

ATL 499 / GSS 499 / THR 499 · Fall 2022

C01 · Mondays, 1:30-4:20 PM

Instructors: Jessica Mitrani · Steve Cosson

Theater writer/director Steve Cosson and multimedia artist Jessica Mitrani collaborate with students on a theatrical interrogation of the book "Sex Variants: A Study of Homosexual Patterns." The book features interviews with LGBTQ+ individuals in the 1930's. The class is a creative deep dive into these autobiographical accounts, manifesting strategies to adapt the text into performance, with close consideration of narrative; staging, acting/representation; design elements including video; music; etc., as well as how this historical material can be contextualized for the present. The class culminates in a collaborative workshop performance.