ENGL 4081 Playwriting Workshop

Instructor Contact:

Professor Sidney Goldfarb

Email: sgoldfarb42@gmail.com

About the Course:

Students in this course will compose either one medium-length play (approx. 40-50 pages) or a combination of shorter plays that totals 40 pages of writing.

Assigned readings: You will read and discuss at least three plays from a selection of works that represent various movements, including plays by Tennessee Williams, Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett, Adrienne Kennedy, Maria Irene Fornes, Wole Soyinka, and Sarah Kane. Students also will read Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Angels in American.

Additional writing assignments: Students will write reviews of two other student’s plays, and write descriptions of their own plays.

This course is restricted to Creative Writing majors and minors, or students with a sub plan of Creative Writing, or by application to the instructor. Required prerequisite: ENGL 3021 or ENGL 3051 (minimum grade B).

Objectives:

Students who successfully complete this course will learn how to:

• Develop play writing skills through composition and revision of one mid-length play (40-50 pages) or several short plays
• Write effective descriptions of their plays
• Analyze plays by leading playwrights whose work represents significant movements in theater and discuss their significance on the discussion board
• Review and critique other students’ plays

Required Texts:

Tony Kushner, Angels in American, ISBN-13: 978-1559363846
Students also will choose readings from a selection of plays.

Grading: