Playwriting · THFPBC
More than you'd expect but not enough to really complain about....2 plays a week and about 7 pages of writing. You write one play for your final (30 pages of completed work).
10-15 pages of drama due every other week 40-45 pages due by the end of the semester REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE PAGE MINIMUM
total bs. as long as you turn in something, you're good.
Have your work read in class whenever you feel like handing in in. It's great because you can save you playwriting work until you have the time for it.
You learn a lot. You grow a lot as a writer and maybe as a person? But, if you're not a regular writer do yourself a favor and pass/fail the course. It's great but just a lot of mental and emotional energy for what was just supposed to be a fun class for me. It was fun, but not relaxing. Ellen has specific things she wants to see out of her students and if you don't get that then don't expect good comments. Also don't expect to know you're grade til it's posted on SSOL. This is a good class and worth your effort, but it's also kinda sucky at times?
Some would say that I've lucked out with the professors and classes I have taken in the writing program: the accomplished and fabulous, Leslie Woodard (who happens to be the director of the program), and the gifted, Dominican, Nelly Rosario. I just finished a semester of playwriting with Neomi Cress, who definitely knew, like the aforementioned teachers, what she was talking about. Thank god! I went into the class with a limited knowledge of drama and some firsthand experience with the theatre; therefore, I was willing and ready to learn more. By the end I was much more comfortable with playwriting lingo and concepts. I understood what drama stood for and how to achieve it, even on a mediocre level. My writing has improved, I hope, and I now have the desire to pursue this branch of writing. Ultimately, what these teachers want to see by the end of the class (and throughout the course of the class) is some form of improvement and change, drastic if possible. And yes, they want to see how well you've applied what you've learned (i.e. how well you listened and reacted to THEIR ideas and criticism). They need to see that you've grown as a writer, especially if you're a writer who isn't really comfortable with the specific genre in question. No one in my class is/was an expert: some could be considered (naturally) gifted or more open to the art of playwriting. There were some peopl…
worst possible writing class for three reasons. one, we didn't prepare at all for the workshops. we would come in to class, hand out scripts, have people read the parts out loud, and then comment on what we'd just read. no real insight was gained. no real help was offered. total waste of workshop time. two, as evidenced by his idea of workshopping, marcus is completely scatterbrained. he would never respond to emails, forget all of your previous meetings with him, and never read your work thoroughly unless you demanded it. three, the grade is based on quantity not quality. i could've written 65 pages with a crayon and called it avant garde and marcus would've had to give me an A. i know i'm being really harsh here, but i felt completely duped by the other two reviews of marcus. sure, he's a really nice guy. there's no doubt about that. but so is my dad and he doesn't teach a writing class at columbia and charge tuition. i obviously don't believe in the easy A standard when it comes to assessing writing classes. what's the point if all it offers is 2 hours a week of pure pain and an unedited product? i could do that at home with a nice couch and alcohol.
Austin is a wonderful teacher who maintains just the right atmosphere for a writing class. He is witty, interested, and pleasant. I found his comments on students' writing very on the ball, but also overly positive. Sometimes I wished he'd be more critical, but on the whole, this is a great class if you like writing plays.
read 2 plays a week. write a minimum of seven pages a week. turn in one act play for final.
Anyone who is not a writing major (AKA those who are not serious about writing) may consider her workload a bit much. I thought it was challenging, but far from over-bearing or disproportionate to other classes.