THE4400C - Playwriting for Absolute Beginners

Course Description

Craft your story for the stage!

This beginner's course introduces the fundamentals of dramatic writing through the accessible format of the ten-minute play. Using Gary Garrison's A More Perfect Ten and the playful "Fast Food for the Stage" analogy, students will learn the essential ingredients of storytelling for the stage: dialogue, conflict, character, structure, and theme. By the end of the course, each student will complete and present a polished draft of a ten-minute play, with skills transferable to one-acts and full-length scripts.

Who Should Take This Course

• Anyone interested in writing for stage
• Beginners with no prior writing or playwriting experience
• Creative individuals looking for a new outlet for storytelling

What You'll Gain

• An understand of the basic concepts and vocabulary of playwriting.
• The ability to apply principles of dramatic structure (Aristotle's Poetics and Freytag's Pyramid).
• Experience generating, drafting, and revising an original ten-minute play.
• Confidence as creative writers and collaborative theatre artists.
• Exposure in informal staged reading and peer feedback processes.

Required Materials

• TEXTBOOK: Gary Garrison, A More Perfect Ten: Writing and Producing the Ten-Minute Play
• Additional scripts (short plays and excerpts) provided by the instructor

Notes

Instructor Bio

Jennifer Chaney is a playwright and theatre artist whose work explores the human condition and inspires meaningful conversation. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts and Creative Writing from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Theatre and Playwriting from the University of Idaho. Jennifer has participated in more than fifty theatrical productions in roles ranging from actor and director to stage manager and costumer.

Her plays have been recognized and produced by organizations including Writer’s Digest, The 4C’s in Lincoln City, Porthole Players, Red Octopus Theatre, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, and ScreenCraft Stage to Play. Her play Spirits of Sylvia Beach ran to sold-out audiences in 2024 at the Newport Performing Arts Center. Jennifer currently teaches at Lane Community College and Oregon Coast Community College.