My Experience in the Advanced Playwriting Workshop
By: Allison Snyder
I have never been good at sports. However, I’ve always wanted to be on a team. The way teammates collaborate, support, challenge and love each other inspires me. Writing can be an isolating sport. However, participating in the Advanced Playwriting workshop this year gave me the chance to be on a team.
Nick Gandiello and Kenny Finkle became my coaches. Classes on Tuesdays were “practice,” the other writers were my “teammates,” and our staged readings were the “big game.” Week after week my classmates and I continued to practice and our writing muscles got stronger. Witnessing the growth and evolution of my classmates’ work was exciting and enlightening.
The Advanced Playwriting Workshop made me write because it had deadlines. This forced me to stop thinking about writing and actually start writing. Once I had written something APW, gave me feedback, support and insights, which stretched and improved my work. I was able to write freely and take risks because I had the safety net of being in an understanding and encouraging environment.
And the learning process didn’t stop at the writing. A play is different from a novel or a short story in that it is meant to be performed. APW recognizes that and gave my writing an audience. The Advanced Playwriting workshop walked me through the entire process. From staring at a blank word document to creating characters to watching actors bring those characters to life, APW helped me make something out of nothing. It showed me the importance of teamwork and the power that theater has to break boundaries and help people connect.
Allison’s play Weekend Boy, developed in the Advanced Playwriting Workshop, was a winner of the Write a Play! New York City Competition.
To apply for the 2013-2014 Advanced Playwriting Workshop, click here! The postmark deadline for applications is September 16th, 2013.
