Teaching Statement from James Anthony Tyler: I have designed this class to be great for both beginners and those with experience. Our focus will strongly be on both character development and utilizing the dramatic writing tools of conflict, high stakes, and characters using various tactics to achieve their goals.
The only text I will be asking students to purchase are “Barber Shop Chronicles” by Inua Ellams and “People, Places, and Things” by Duncan MacMillan. I will provide other scripts. A sample of the work that we’ll be looking at is “Ironbound” by Martyna Majok, “John” by Annie Baker, “West of Central” by Christina Ham, “Buzzer” by Tracey Scott Wilson, and excerpts from some of my own produced plays.
We’ll be writing and workshopping 10 min plays in the class and we’ll emphasize structure (having a clear beginning, middle, and end). It’s important that you know how to talk about work, so I’ll stress how to be a productive and generous person when it comes to giving and receiving feedback.
Overall, the class will be both informative and fun, and I hope that you will be able to leave the class with work that you’re proud of.