Summer 2023 Online Courses
Continuing education for
playwrights, composers, lyricists, librettists, theatre educators, and theatremakers.
Our summer semester courses start Tuesday, July 11.
Join the DGI mailing list for registration updates.
General Registration opens on June 26!
Summer 2023 course information is subject to change.
Reconnect with your writing this summer at the Dramatists Guild Institute!
Our six online summer workshops will motivate and inspire you, no matter where you are in your journey as a writer. Whether you're looking to discover your artistic voice, hoping to submit your work to more contests and festivals, or seeking fresh ways to tackle new technologies through playwriting, you'll find an online course at the DGI that helps you expand your talents and hone your craft.
For Sondheim Aficionados:
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Instructor: Cheryl Coons
Schedule: Saturdays
First Class: July 15
Course Duration: Six weeks
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: Fifteen
Cost: $250 Early Bird/$300 Regular
ADT: 4pm-6pm
EDT/AST: 3pm-5pm
CDT: 2pm-4pm
MDT: 1pm-3pm
PDT/MST: 12pm-2pm
AKDT: 11am-1pm
HDT: 9am-11am
A fun and inspirational class for fans of Stephen Sondheim, musical theatre creators who want to deepen their understanding of craft, and those who appreciate the behind-the-scenes stories of how great musicals are made!
This summer, dive into six of the enduring musicals from early in Sondheim's career: West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, and A Little Night Music. You’ll learn about Sondheim’s collaborators, including Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, and Harold Prince, as well as some of the actors who brought his early shows to life (such as Ethel Merman, Lee Remick, Angela Lansbury, Dean Jones, and Zero Mostel, among others). Besides the behind-the-scenes stories of the creation of these musicals, you’ll discover each show from the inside out, focusing on key concepts that are valuable to writers who are creating both original musicals and adaptations.
While Sondheim's excellent books on lyric writing (Finishing the Hat, Look I Made a Hat) focused mainly on the specifics of songwriting craft, you'll examine these six musicals holistically, gaining insights about how musicals are built through the unique requirements of each story and the dynamics of each collaboration.
For Playwrights Looking to Find Their Voice:
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Instructor: Pandora Scooter
Schedule: Tuesdays
First Class: July 11
Course Duration: Six weeks
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: Ten
Cost: $250 Early Bird/$300 Regular
ADT: 7pm-9pm
EDT/AST: 6pm-8pm
CDT: 5pm-7pm
MDT: 4pm-6pm
PDT/MST: 3pm-5pm
AKDT: 2pm-4pm
HST: 12pm-2pm
Are prescriptive playwriting techniques getting you down? Do you feel like you need a different approach? Discover how to write the play that YOU want to write!
In this one-of-a-kind course, you’ll learn about four fundamental elements of effective playwriting:
• Storytelling structure
• Compelling language
• Action
• Engaging characters
You will then have the opportunity to combine, mold, and shape those elements according to your own vision for your play. It’s time to create a play that expresses your unique voice as a writer!
For Writers Who Want to Submit Their Work:
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Instructor: Lucy Wang
Schedule: Wednesdays
First Class: July 12
Course Duration: Six weeks
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: Ten
Cost: $250 Early Bird/$300 Regular
ADT: 7pm-10pm
EDT/AST: 6pm-9pm
CDT: 5pm-8pm
MDT: 4pm-7pm
PDT/MST: 3pm-6pm
AKDT: 2pm-5pm
HST: 12pm-3pm
Summer can be a tough time to write, with the call of the wild beckoning us outdoors to play. But this course, taught by award-winning playwright Lucy Wang, will help you to stay motivated and keep up your writing!
Every week, there will be an in-class writing assignment, often inspired by real-world submission opportunities. Afterwards, you’ll get the chance to share what you’ve written, to revise it, and to submit it to reap the added benefit of public recognition. While rewards vary with each opportunity -- publication, reading, production, or a cash prize -- the overall goal remains the same: to improve craft, create new work, increase visibility, and have fun.
Come explore and experiment with your voice across genres in a safe, supportive environment – and perhaps even go on to win public recognition and prizes afterwards!
For Musical Theatre Writers Who Are in a Rut:
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Instructors: Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour
Schedule: Wednesdays
First Class: July 19
Course Duration: Six weeks
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: Twelve
Cost: $250 Early Bird/$300 Regular
ADT: 7pm-9pm
EDT/AST: 6pm-8pm
CDT: 5pm-7pm
MDT: 4pm-6pm
PDT/MST: 3pm-5pm
AKDT: 2pm-4pm
HST: 12pm-2pm
Have you written a killer opening number for your new musical, but can’t figure out what comes next?
Did your first act close brilliantly, but are now struggling to open act two?
Getting unstuck when you’re not quite sure which direction to go can be a difficult process.
In this class with award-winning writing team Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour, you will learn strategies and techniques to help get you past the sticking place and and move your work into new and exciting directions.
This course will be open to twelve musical theatre writers. Please note that writing teams are also welcome to apply.
For Writers Who Use New Media:
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Instructor: Ross Berger
Schedule: Tuesdays
First Class: July 11
Course Duration: Six weeks
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: Ten
Cost: $250 Early Bird/$300 Regular
ADT: 9pm-12am
EDT/AST: 8pm-11pm
CDT: 7pm-10pm
MDT: 6pm-9pm
PDT/MST: 5pm-8pm
AKDT: 4pm-7pm
HST: 2pm-5pmYou already know how to tell your stories to be presented on stage. But have you thought of using your storytelling skills in high tech media? Video games, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and other electronic outlets are rising in popularity, and they all need content to draw customers in.
Join Ross Berger, creative writer and narrative designer, for this exciting six-week course to learn how to take the storytelling skills you already have and expand them to write for exciting new platforms.
Learn new ways to solve creative problems of the future!
For Writers Exploring Play Structure:
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Instructor: Zakiyyah Alexander
Schedule: Thursdays
First Class: July 13
Course Duration: Six weeks
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: Ten
Cost: $250 Early Bird/$300 Regular
ADT: 7pm-10pm
EDT/AST: 6pm-9pm
CDT: 5pm-8pm
MDT: 4pm-7pm
PDT/MST: 3pm-6pm
AKDT: 2pm-5pm
HST: 12pm-3pm
An outline is a dirty misunderstood word to most writers, but once you learn to map out your own unique structure, it can change the way you write.
This six-week class will look at models from contemporary plays, discuss the ways that structure is used and why, and work with exercises and prompts that will challenge and change your writing proesss. Sharing her experiences as a playwright, television writer, and years of working as a professor (at Bard College and Columbia University), award-winning dramatist Zakiyyah Alexander is going to show you a different way to tackle a tough script.
For Writers Who Want to Write TV Pilots :
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Instructor: Zakiyyah Alexander
Class dates: Monday, August 7 and Monday, August 14
6pm - 9pm Eastern
Workshop Duration: Two days
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: 50
Cost: 18 students to pitch during sessions/ fee $100 | 32 students to attend without pitching/fee $50
ADT: 7pm-10pm
EDT/AST: 6pm-9pm
CDT: 5pm-8pm
MDT: 4pm-7pm
PDT/MST: 3pm-6pm
AKDT: 2pm-5pm
HST: 12pm-3pm
Television pilot writing starts with a strong, clear pitch. In this 2 day masterclass, writers will perform an elevator pitch - a brief synopsis of your intended project. After the pitch there will be deep notes and questions intended to make the pilot stronger. This is a unique opportunity to speak one on one with a professional television/writer producer. The structure of the pilot will be one of the elements we'll focus on, as well as genre, character, and why this story needs to be told. Requirements will include watching assigned/produced pilots.
Zakiyyah Alexander began her career as a playwright. As a television writer/producer her credits include: Grey's Anatomy, 24: Legacy, Hunters, Russian doll, La Brea, The Accused, and she was the co-showrunner of Grown-ish (season 5). She has also developed and sold several television projects on the development side.
Eighteen students will be able to pitch their project and receive feedback from Zakiyyah. The remaining students who are unable to pitch during the session will be able to listen and learn from their peers’ conversations. ONLY the eighteen students will be able to have their pitch evaluated during the sessions.
For Writers Exploring Magical Realism:
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Instructor: C. Julian. Jimenez
Class date: Saturday, August 5
12:00pm – 5pm Eastern (with a half hour break from 2:30pm – 5:00pm)
Workshop Duration: One day
Course Credits: Two
Maximum Students: 50
Cost: $50
ADT: 1pm-6pm
EDT/AST: 12pm-5pm
CDT: 11am-4pm
MDT: 10am-3pm
PDT/MST: 9am-2pm
AKDT: 8am-1pm
HST: 6am-11am
Through a series of exploratory exercises and writing assignments, writers will learn to expand their work by incorporating fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic stories. Magical Realism combines the best of all worlds, including science fiction, fable, fantasy, horror, realism, and fairytale. This workshop hopes to break open a world of fantasy inside all artists.