About the Dramatic Writing Program

Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing

Curriculum

The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program in Dramatic Writing is a two-year sequence of full-time study with concentrations in Playwriting, Screenwriting, or Television Writing.

A Two Year Progression

At the beginning of the program, students enroll in the Division of Playwriting and also in the Division of Film and Television Writing. As their studies advance, students select one medium for concentration.

Graduate seminars in theatre and film requires students to write an original 10-minute play, a one-act play, a full-length play, and a full-length screenplay. Individual workshops give students the opportunity to try out ideas and assess their suitability for writing for television, film, or theatre. Just as an artist uses a sketchbook to work out an idea for a painting, graduate students in the Dramatic Writing Program use film, videotape, or staged readings as a means of seeing how well their work holds up in the medium for which it is intended. In special seminars on contemporary theatre, students meet with visiting playwrights, directors, and literary managers to discuss current topics in the theatre.

Students meet in weekly workshops with faculty, whom are professional writers. At times, when the faculty feels it would be of benefit to student work, they call on outside writers to act as consultants and critics. In each student's last semester, when the graduate thesis project is completed, a group of professional advisers to the program --all prominent producers, directors, and writers – view the student work and discuss their reactions with the writer. These "crit sessions" mark the writer's readiness to have their work shown to the public.