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The Official Creative Writing Workshop: Comedy Edition!

Learn how to write funny plays, screenplays, sketch comedy and standup comedy monologues from a comedy theater director who has taught English classes!
Michael
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(1,387)
Popular
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
1-2 hours per week. We will have some in class exercises, but you'll want to spend time outside of our meetings writing your projects.

Class Experience

US Grade 4 - 7
This class will examine the ingredients of a hilarious piece of creative writing and will focus on the students' works through discussion and constructive feedback. Genres will include sketch comedy, plays, screenplays, personal essays, short stories, stand-up routines........the learners will drive the curriculum each week based on what they are choosing to write.

We will take turns sharing our work so we can all learn and grow from each other as we build an ensemble of writing friends. I've been directing comedy for a few decades (when did I get so old?) and have spent time teaching English to high school students at one point so spelling and grammar will count! :)

We will also look at examples of strong writing in the different genres so we can learn from the masters of the form.

Each meeting will also include a quick focus on a specific element of comedy writing.

These could include topics such as:

Strong characters
Finding "the game" of a scene
Construction of a joke
Adding a comedy button

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I look forward to laughing with you in this class.
Learning Goals
Students will learn how to write creatively in multiple genres as well as what it takes to make an audience laugh.
learning goal

Other Details

Learning Needs
All my classes are 100 percent inclusive.
Pre-Requisites
You don't need to know how to be funny, but you should know how to laugh.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
4.8
1387reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from UC San Diego
I'm a professional theater director and educator.

I have an MFA in Directing from U.C. San Diego, and I've been lucky to direct a lot of shows over my career. My favorite experiences have been assistant directing the national tours of RENT and working on WAITING FOR GODOT with some amazing actors at Portland Stage Company in Maine. I've directed around fifty plays and musicals with professional actors around around the same number with students in educational settings ranging from universities to Montessori elementary schools.

As an educator, I've worked with little kids, big kids, and all sizes of adults. I traveled around the world teaching ensemble theatre with the International Schools Theatre Association. We've worked with students in Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Spain most recently. I've also been fortunate to teach for many years at the oldest continuously running youth theatre in America, San Diego's Junior Theatre. (I also directed a musical version of MATILDA and an adaptation of THE BORROWERS there!)

I've taught improvisation and acting as a private coach, high school teacher, and college professor. I worked with students to write and perform an original children's play at Colgate University that then toured around New York state. I've worked as a teaching artist with regional theaters like La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe Theatre going into public schools and teaching standards based drama classes and helping teachers teach their own drama classes.

I ran a Young Performers' Workshop summer drama camp in San Diego for many years, and I also taught improvisation and acting at La Jolla Playhouse's conservatory program for serious high school actors. I've coached monologues for high school seniors to apply for competitive BFA programs and for working actors to audition for productions.

 I've worked on puppetry with elementary school kids. I've taught playwriting to students in the foster care system. I've directed radio plays with families at the Museum of TV and Radio in Beverly Hills. I've even taught English classes! When I reflect back on all the teaching I've been able to do, I'm so grateful....and so excited to now move into the online realm!

And, I've been a public high school English teacher.

I love musical theater, clowning, and classic comedies....anything that breaks the fourth wall and invites the audience into the madness! I look forward to joining with students around the world and building a learning ensemble together via our screens. The best way to learn theater skills is by doing it, not just talking about it. I create a safe space to take risks, explore creativity, respect others and develop empathy, and to have a great time. Audiences know if the creators had a positive experience. I promise we always will!

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$18

weekly
1x per week
50 min

Completed by 7 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-13
4-8 learners per class

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