“I’ve never met a more skilled technician of story. John helped me pop the hood, take all the parts out, and put them all back in the correct order. Now my pilot is purring like a racecar. (He also taught me not to belabor metaphors!)”
Classes and Coaching
I am pleased to teach writing for stage and television in New York City and Philadelphia to writers at various points in their career.
No matter where you are, I am available for private coaching to help shape a script you already have in the works. Contact me directly if you are interested in exploring this option.
In the Philadelphia Area, I teach playwriting for theater students and playgoers, alike, via Temple University and PlayPenn “an artist-driven organization dedicated to the development of new plays and playwrights.”
Playwriting I
This course is designed to introduce basic playwriting, highlighting particular elements of the playwright's craft such as character voice, dramatic action, and theatricality. It is also designed to help students find their own voice as writers and use the tools of playwriting to express those voices. Students will give voice to unique characters, utilize conflict between characters to tell a story, and use the tools of the stage to reveal truths about those characters and the world they inhabit. The course also functions as a playwriting workshop, so students will develop and utilize skills to analyze one another’s writing in a workshop setting.
Playwriting II
A course for those familiar with the tools of playwriting who seek further development. Focuses on helping each writer find those subjects that they are most passionate about, hopefully creating a well the writer can return to again and again. Will also work on writing from prompts, writing freely but assessing objectively, as well as developing good working habits.
Playwriting for Playgoers
Any theatregoer can tell you about a play they saw that they’ll never forget. But how much do even lifelong theatregoers know about the art of playwriting itself? Playwriting for Playgoers will mix the educational and the experiential so that students will really understand the practice and experience of playwriting. First, we will read and discuss a great play, breaking down how and why it works so well. Then we will do exercises to explore how you write for plays, how you write in the voice of other characters and create conflicts that reveal their deepest truths.
In New York City, I can be found at The Barrow Group teaching Playwriting for Actors and Writing for TV.
Writing For Actors
So many actors want to write but are unsure how to start. Others are intimidated. But why should that be? Many of the skills needed to write – understanding how dialogue reveals character, how scenes are structured, how the action of the play reveals the truth of the story – are skills every good actor already has. This class will teach actors how to use the things they already know to write dramatic literature. We will start with guided exercises to help develop each writer’s voice, moving on to monologues and scenes.
Writing For TV I & II
Writing for television is just like every other kind of dramatic writing…until it isn’t. For those intrigued by writing for the small screen, Writing for TV I is an introduction to what is universal and what is unique about television writing. The class will start by helping students create and flesh out the basics of a compelling story – a great protagonist, a great antagonist, and conflict that takes place in a powerful and exciting world. Then students will learn how to use particulars of television writing - creating a story engine, juggling multiple plots, and writing beat sheets – to further illuminate the characters and stories they have created. Students will work towards the creation of a pilot that will tell one great story while hinting at many more.
This is a two part course.