Applications are now being accepted for the virtual Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive, led by Gary Garrison, an award-winning playwright, author and educator who has served as Executive Director of Creative Affairs for the Dramatists Guild of America and the Dramatists Guild Institute of Field Learning and Dramatic Writing in New York. The program consists of rigorous writing workshops and discussions of the art, craft, and business of playwriting with Gary and a wide range of distinguished guest artists. Recent teaching artists have included James Avery, Mark Bly, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Chisa Hutchinson, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Yilong Liu, Tim J. Lord, Marsha Norman, and Caridad Svich.
Additionally, under the coordination and guidance of teaching artist TJ Young, participants will have the option to self-identify for break-out spaces addressing specific opportunities and challenges for affinity and identity groups, and for playwrights of color. These breakout spaces will each be led by a distinguished mentor, based on the composition and needs of the full cohort. As part of our ongoing commitment to address Representation, Equity and Diversity in the American Theatre, we are working to create a safe, working space for focused learning and growth for all participating artists.
Participants are university students, faculty, and emerging professionals from across the country. We welcome applicants who are writing outside of the "traditional" play structure and those who may not have existing “plays,” but may have dramatic writing to share.
The Intensive begins on Thursday evening, July 14 with an orientation and introduction to the cohort with Gary and T.J. The tentative schedule will be: Friday and Saturday will consist of sessions 2-6pm Eastern time, Sunday sessions 1-5pm. Evening sessions will be scheduled intermittently, as needed.
TUITION*
$200
* Tuition will be invoiced upon acceptance. Playwrights contact Gregg Henry (KCACTF Artistic Director) at GHenry@kennedy-center.org for information regarding Financial Aid.
To apply, you will need:
- A letter of motivation for attending the Playwriting Intensive;
- A resume of related experience; and
- Up to 10 pages of writing from a recent work or series of works.
By: June 5, 2022
Every effort will be made to notify participants of acceptance by June 20.
Gary Garrison was the Executive Director for Creative Affairs of the Dramatist Guild of America for over a decade, and recently retired as the Artistic Director the Dramatist Guild Institute of Field Learning and Dramatic Writing. Prior to his work at the Guild, Garrison filled the posts of Artistic Director, Producer and full-time faculty member in the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he produced over forty-five different festivals of new work, collaborating with hundreds of playwrights, directors and actors. Garrison’s plays include Clean Brush Sweet Dust, The Unexpected Light On Azadeh Medusa, Too Quick to Pick, Ties That Bind, Skirting the Issue, Caught Without Candy, Game On, The Sweep, Verticals and Horizontals, Storm on Storm, Crater, Old Soles, Padding The Wagon, Rug Store Cowboy, Cherry Reds, Gawk, Oh Messiah Me. This work has been commission from or featured at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, City Theatre of Miami, Boston Theatre Marathon, Primary Stages, The Directors Company, Manhattan Theatre Source, StageWorks, Open Door Theatre and New York Rep. His recent work as guest artist or master teacher of playwriting involve such institutions as the Marfa Intensives, Sewanee Writer’s Conference, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, CityWrights, The Inkwell and Source Theatre in D.C., Baltimore Playwrights Festival, New Hampshire Playwrights Festival, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Southeast Theatre Conference, Northwest Theatre Conference and Boston Playwrights. He is the author of the critically acclaimed, The Playwright’s Survival Guide: Keeping the Drama in Your Work and Out of Your Life, Perfect Ten: Writing and Producing the Ten Minute Play, A More Perfect Ten and a collection of short plays, Verticals and Horizontals. In April of 2014, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts instituted the National Gary Garrison Ten- Minute Play Award given to the best ten-minute play written by a university dramatist. In the spring of 2016, he was awarded the Milan Stitt Outstanding Teacher of Playwriting by KCACTF. He has led this summer program since its inception in 2002.
TJ Young is a Texas-born playwright and dramaturg based in Pittsburgh where he serves as co-representative for the Dramatists Guild - Pittsburgh region. His plays include The Inseparables (Pittsburgh Public Theatre commission), Isle of Noises, No. 6 (2017 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Award Winner – KCACTF, Indiana Rep), Lyon’s Den (2018 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Distinguished Achievement awardee), Ruby’s Baby Blue (2016 John Cauble Short Play Award Regional Finalist- KCACTF), Hell is Empty (2017 John Cauble Short Play Award Regional Finalist - KCACTF). His 10-minute plays are: Before the Fire (Fade to Black 2018 Festival Selection), Hallmark (TETA Playfest 10-minute Winner) Effie, Rock the Cradle, Lillies, and Stuffed. He is the recipient of the 2017 Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship. He has had productions at Texas State University as part of their New Works Festival, Director/Designer Collaboration Project, and as part of their 2016-2017 Main Stage Season. He was the 2019 Spotlight Artist of Throughline Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, PA. He received his MFA in Dramatic Writing from Texas State University. He has been a Teaching Artist with City Theatre in Pittsburgh and Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh. He is also the NPP Chair for Region 2 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Currently, he is a Professor of Dramaturgy at Carnegie Mellon University.
For any questions on concerns, please contact Gregg Henry, Artistic Director of KCACTF, at GHenry@kennedy-center.org
The Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive 2022
Applications are now being accepted for the virtual Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive, led by Gary Garrison, an award-winning playwright, author and educator who has served as Executive Director of Creative Affairs for the Dramatists Guild of America and the Dramatists Guild Institute of Field Learning and Dramatic Writing in New York. The program consists of rigorous writing workshops and discussions of the art, craft, and business of playwriting with Gary and a wide range of distinguished guest artists. Recent teaching artists have included James Avery, Mark Bly, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Chisa Hutchinson, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Yilong Liu, Tim J. Lord, Marsha Norman, and Caridad Svich.
Additionally, under the coordination and guidance of teaching artist TJ Young, participants will have the option to self-identify for break-out spaces addressing specific opportunities and challenges for affinity and identity groups, and for playwrights of color. These breakout spaces will each be led by a distinguished mentor, based on the composition and needs of the full cohort. As part of our ongoing commitment to address Representation, Equity and Diversity in the American Theatre, we are working to create a safe, working space for focused learning and growth for all participating artists.
Participants are university students, faculty, and emerging professionals from across the country. We welcome applicants who are writing outside of the "traditional" play structure and those who may not have existing “plays,” but may have dramatic writing to share.
The Intensive begins on Thursday evening, July 14 with an orientation and introduction to the cohort with Gary and T.J. The tentative schedule will be: Friday and Saturday will consist of sessions 2-6pm Eastern time, Sunday sessions 1-5pm. Evening sessions will be scheduled intermittently, as needed.
TUITION*
$200
* Tuition will be invoiced upon acceptance. Playwrights contact Gregg Henry (KCACTF Artistic Director) at GHenry@kennedy-center.org for information regarding Financial Aid.
To apply, you will need:
- A letter of motivation for attending the Playwriting Intensive;
- A resume of related experience; and
- Up to 10 pages of writing from a recent work or series of works.
By: June 5, 2022
Every effort will be made to notify participants of acceptance by June 20.
Gary Garrison was the Executive Director for Creative Affairs of the Dramatist Guild of America for over a decade, and recently retired as the Artistic Director the Dramatist Guild Institute of Field Learning and Dramatic Writing. Prior to his work at the Guild, Garrison filled the posts of Artistic Director, Producer and full-time faculty member in the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he produced over forty-five different festivals of new work, collaborating with hundreds of playwrights, directors and actors. Garrison’s plays include Clean Brush Sweet Dust, The Unexpected Light On Azadeh Medusa, Too Quick to Pick, Ties That Bind, Skirting the Issue, Caught Without Candy, Game On, The Sweep, Verticals and Horizontals, Storm on Storm, Crater, Old Soles, Padding The Wagon, Rug Store Cowboy, Cherry Reds, Gawk, Oh Messiah Me. This work has been commission from or featured at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, City Theatre of Miami, Boston Theatre Marathon, Primary Stages, The Directors Company, Manhattan Theatre Source, StageWorks, Open Door Theatre and New York Rep. His recent work as guest artist or master teacher of playwriting involve such institutions as the Marfa Intensives, Sewanee Writer’s Conference, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, CityWrights, The Inkwell and Source Theatre in D.C., Baltimore Playwrights Festival, New Hampshire Playwrights Festival, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Southeast Theatre Conference, Northwest Theatre Conference and Boston Playwrights. He is the author of the critically acclaimed, The Playwright’s Survival Guide: Keeping the Drama in Your Work and Out of Your Life, Perfect Ten: Writing and Producing the Ten Minute Play, A More Perfect Ten and a collection of short plays, Verticals and Horizontals. In April of 2014, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts instituted the National Gary Garrison Ten- Minute Play Award given to the best ten-minute play written by a university dramatist. In the spring of 2016, he was awarded the Milan Stitt Outstanding Teacher of Playwriting by KCACTF. He has led this summer program since its inception in 2002.
TJ Young is a Texas-born playwright and dramaturg based in Pittsburgh where he serves as co-representative for the Dramatists Guild - Pittsburgh region. His plays include The Inseparables (Pittsburgh Public Theatre commission), Isle of Noises, No. 6 (2017 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Award Winner – KCACTF, Indiana Rep), Lyon’s Den (2018 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Distinguished Achievement awardee), Ruby’s Baby Blue (2016 John Cauble Short Play Award Regional Finalist- KCACTF), Hell is Empty (2017 John Cauble Short Play Award Regional Finalist - KCACTF). His 10-minute plays are: Before the Fire (Fade to Black 2018 Festival Selection), Hallmark (TETA Playfest 10-minute Winner) Effie, Rock the Cradle, Lillies, and Stuffed. He is the recipient of the 2017 Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship. He has had productions at Texas State University as part of their New Works Festival, Director/Designer Collaboration Project, and as part of their 2016-2017 Main Stage Season. He was the 2019 Spotlight Artist of Throughline Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, PA. He received his MFA in Dramatic Writing from Texas State University. He has been a Teaching Artist with City Theatre in Pittsburgh and Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh. He is also the NPP Chair for Region 2 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Currently, he is a Professor of Dramaturgy at Carnegie Mellon University.
For any questions on concerns, please contact Gregg Henry, Artistic Director of KCACTF, at GHenry@kennedy-center.org