Peter Nachtrieb
FUNNY THEATRE: The Effective Use of Hilarity
in Contemporary Playwriting
Arpil 2 - May 14
Class Dates:*
Wed, 4/2 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Wed, 4/9 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Wed, 4/16 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Wed, 4/23 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Wed, 4/30 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Wed, 5/7 6:30pm - 9:30pm
*18 hours of in class instruction.
Class Description:
Somebody famous once said that while drama is "easy", comedy is "hard." This is a terrible lie. They're both kind of hard. But, in this potentially fun and invigorating workshop, we'll take a particular look at the use of "comedy" (in as broad a sense of the word as possible) in our playwriting. Comedy has the potential to engage and disarm an audience with it's ability to simultaneously infiltrate the intellect and the gut. With the often full-body attention that comedy requires from an audience, ears become extra-sensitive, thoughts can be subtly provoked, and attitudes can be challenged. In discussions, readings, exercises and assignments we will explore humor and develop work that is funny, provoking, subversive and maybe, god forbid, highly entertaining.
Course Components:
➢ An exploration of one's personal sense of humor. Are you a laugh at others or laugh at yourself type of person?
➢ Experimenting in different genres, from "sketch" to "satire" to "physical" to "absurd" to "dark."
➢ In class writing and weekly "challenge" assignments. Sharing our work with the group.
➢ Reading and Discussion of contemporary scripts.
about the instructor
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb is a San Francisco-based playwright whose works include Hunter Gatherers, boom, Colorado, Meaningless, Multiplex and The Amorphous Blob. Hunter Gatherers received the 2007 Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award for best new play to premiere outside of New York and the 2007 Will Glickman Prize for best new play in the Bay Area. His work has been seen across the country at venues like Ars Nova and SPF in New York, Bailiwick in Chicago, W.H.A.T. in New England, and Impact Theatre, Magic Theatre and Kililng My Lobster in the Bay Area. He is currently under commission from Encore Theatre Company and South Coast Rep. Peter holds a degree in Theater and Biology from Brown and an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. He likes to promote himself online at www.peternachtrieb.com
