We draw from the country's leading dramatists, business people and educators to teach our classes.
GRETCHEN CRYER
Creating Your Own Solo Performance
From the Blank Page to the Stage
GRETCHEN CRYER is most well known for writing the book & lyrics and starring in I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road (with music by Nancy Ford) which originated at the Public Theater and then transferred to the Circle in the Square where it ran three years. In Chicago the show won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical, Best Actress. The album won a Grammy nomination. Gretchen has written numerous other shows with Nancy Ford - Now Is the Time for All Good Men (Lortel Theater), The Last Sweet Days of Isaac (Obie Award - Best Musical, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), Shelter (Golden Theater), Hang On to the Good Times (Manhattan Theater Club), Eleanor (Williamstown), The American Girls Revue (American Girl Place - Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles), Circle of Friends (American Girl Place - Chicago and New York) and Anne of Green Gables (Theaterworks USA).
Creating Your Own Solo Performance - From the Blank Page to the Stage: This course will help the artist find the story he or she wants to tell and explore the various writing techniques that can be utilized in creating that piece. Through writing exercises done in class, a story will begin to emerge and take shape. The piece can include any of the artist's special talents - music, dance, etc. - or it can simply be spoken word. As a basic reference text we will use Jo Bonney's Extreme Exposure - a collection of solo pieces by artists spanning the last several decades. The 10-week course culminates in a showcase of readings of excerpts from the work of each participant.
Other fall offerings include The Architecture of Plays, The Artist as CEO, Writing Workshop 1 - First Drafts, Musical Theater Songwriting for the Composer-Lyricist, and Music Fundamentals for Writers. Additional courses will be announced across the summer.
Deadlines, course descriptions, the application process, fees and faculty can be found by visiting the DG Institute website.
