The Poetics of Playwriting (Summer 2020)

The Poetics of Playwriting (Summer 2020)

Jul 25 - Sep 05
10:00am - 1:00pm Central Time

Instructor: Marisela Orta

Poet and playwright Federico García Lorca once said, “A play is a poem standing up.” Lyricism, Structure, Imagery, Metaphor, and Repetition are poetic tools used by many contemporary playwright to deepen their storytelling and theatricality. Led by Playwrights’ Center Core Writer and nationally-produced playwright Marisela Treviño Orta, this class will examine specific poetic elements and how different playwrights use them in their storytelling. Over the course of seven-weeks, students will read five assigned plays and participate in class discussion to explore how to employ these narrative tools in their own writing. Using writing exercises and assignments, students will have the opportunity to experiment with these new tools to deepen their own playwriting craft. In this supportive class environment, we will learn by doing—we will experiment with these tools and take risks to push our writing in new directions. At the conclusion of the course, students will present a new scene that utilizes one or more of the poetic elements and receive feedback both from peers and the instructor.

Marisela Treviño Orta is an award-winning playwright, a graduate of the Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and a Playwrights’ Center Core Writer. A poet for many years, Marisela found her way to the playwriting in 2004 while completing an MFA in Writing at the University of San Francisco where she studied poetry. 

Her plays include: A Place to Belong (2018 ACT’s Young Conservatory); American Triage; Braided Sorrow (2008 Su Teatro); December; Ghost Limb (2017 Brava Theatre); Heart Shaped Nebula (2015 Shotgun Players); Return to Sender (2019 Nashville Children’s Theatre); The River Bride (2016 Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Shoe; Somewhere (2020 Temple University); Wolf at the Door (2018 National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere) and Woman on Fire (2017 Camino Real Productions). 

Marisela is an alumna of the 2018/2019 Goodman Theatre’s Playwrights Unit, the Playwrights Foundation’s Resident Playwright Initiative, a founding member of the Bay Area Latino Theatre Artists Network, and a member of the Latinx Theatre Commons’ national Steering Committee. 

Her awards include: 2006 Chicano/Latino Literary Prize in Drama; 2009 Pen Center USA Literary Award in Drama; 2013 National Latino Playwriting Award; 2016 Kilroys List; 2016 Latinidad Playwriting Award Runner-Up, The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival; and 2019 Alliance/Kendeda Finalist.

Currently, Marisela is currently working on her Audible commission Nightfall and on an untitled stage adaptation for Disney Junior based on the TV series Elena of Avalor.

Required Reading & Plays to purchase for this class:  Students will be reading 5 plays during this course.  The instructor will provide 3 of them.  The other 2 plays will need to be purchased:  

"...and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi" by Marcus Gardley
"Caught" by Christopher Chen

Both can be found used online, or at the library

Classes will be held via Zoom. Instructors will send out Zoom invites one day before class begins. We encourage students to set up a Zoom account for themselves before class if they have not already to ensure when class begins you are able to jump straight into the art!