Event
Peter Nachtrieb: Finding the Funny - Playwriting and Comedy
Somebody famous once said that while drama is easy, comedy is hard. This is a terrible lie. They're both hard. But, in this fun and invigorating workshop, we'll take a particular look at the use of comedy in our playwriting, from the broadest sense possible, and explore just what makes great humor great. Oh, and how to do it yourself.
Comedy has the potential to engage and disarm an audience with its ability to simultaneously infiltrate the intellect and the gut. With the often full-body attention that comedy requires from an audience, ears become extra-sensitive, thoughts subtly provoked, attitudes challenged, point communicated. Through writing exercises and assignments, sharing work, and in-depth discussion students will explore theatrical humor and develop work that is funny, provoking, subversive and maybe, heaven forbid, highly entertaining.
The class will cover a range of humorist material including some of these specific questions:
* An exploration of one's personal sense of humor. Are you a laugh at others or laugh at yourself type of person?
* Exploring a "Yes And" strategy to generating plays. How can the skills of improvisers help open up our playwriting?
* Ample in-class writing to explore various genres and techniques that are oft used in humorous writing. Which are most helpful for you?
* Reading and discussion of excerpted contemporary scripts. What's so funny about that?
* Given the intensive nature of the schedule, it is hoped that participants will leave with a body of work that has explored and tested new skills and vocal tones to their writing that they can apply to their work.
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LocationPlaywrights Foundation
1616 16th Street, Ste 350
San Francisco, CA 94103
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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Contact
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