Dramatic Writing | Academic Requirements | Courses | Faculty
The Dramatic Writing B.F.A. Program: Courses
Lower level: DWR 1000–1999
Lower level: DWR 2000–2999
Upper level: DWR 3000–3999
Upper level: DWR 4000–4999
Note: In the two-semester course sequences offered every year, successful completion of the first course is a prerequisite for the second course. For example, DWR 2310/Acting for Writers (part one) is a prerequisite for DWR 2320/Acting for Writers (part two).
Dramatic Writing I: Playwriting
DWR 1000 / 4 credits / Spring
Basics for playwrights: how to tell a dramatic story on stage, including exposition, character, theme development, and basic dialogue skills. Practice is emphasized over theory, and completion of a one-act play is the goal. Attendance required at live shows.
Prerequisite: DWR 1010
Dramatic Writing II: Screenwriting
DWR 1010 / 4 credits / Fall
Students prepare to meet the challenges of the screenplay through exercises in short story and scene writing.
Plays and Playgoing I
DWR 1250 / 4 credits / Spring
Using the classics of dramatic literature as well as plays that are new to the stage, students read and examine the ideas and mechanics of each play. The class attends productions of plays on campus and in New York City.
Dramatic Writing III: Screenwriting
DWR 2000 / 4 credits / Spring
Students develop two mini-screenplays and may begin work on a full-length script.
Prerequisite: DWR 1010
Dramatic Writing IV: Playwriting
DWR 2010 / 4 credits / Fall
Completion of short and full-length works, including discussion of multimedia and musical collaboration.
Prerequisite: DWR 1000
Dramatic Writing III: Screenwriting
DWR 2000 / 4 credits / Spring
Students develop two mini-screenplays and may begin work on a full-length script.
Prerequisite: DWR 1010
Dramatic Writing IV: Playwriting
DWR 2010 / 4 credits / Fall
Completion of short and full-length works, including discussion of multimedia and musical collaboration.
Prerequisite: DWR 1000
Screenplay Analysis
DWR 2100 / 4 credits / Fall
In-depth analysis of four or more well-known movies to identify the main principles of story building. Students then write scenes in which the main conflict of the feature film is transferred to their own experience or imagination.
Reading Drama: Script Analysis
DWR 2110 / 4 credits / Spring
Uses the classics of dramatic literature, old and new, for the purposes of contemporary playwrights. Starting with the latest plays, the course goes backward in time to the Greek roots of drama.
Plays and Playgoing II
DWR 2250 / 4 credits / Fall
A continuation of DWR 1250. Using the classics of dramatic literature and plays that are new to the stage, students read and examine the ideas and mechanics of each play. The class also attends productions of plays on campus and in New York City.
Prerequisite: DWR 1250
Introduction to Shakespeare
DRA 2200 Refer to Drama Studies Courses (School of Humanities) for description.
Acting for Writers
DWR 2310 and 2320 / 3 credits (per semester) / Every year
Explores the elements of acting to acquaint dramatic writers with the problems involved in bringing their words to life.
The Collaborative Process I and II
DWR 2500 and 2510 / 3 credits (per semester) / Every year
An examination of the art of the director-writer theatrical relationship. In the spring, students work with actors and another director to realize student scenes.
Cinematic Expression I and II
TFI 2760 and 2770 Refer to Film Courses for description.
History of the Modern Theatre
DRA 2780 Refer to Drama Studies Courses (School of Humanities) for description.
History of the Theatre
DRA 2880 Refer to Drama Studies Courses (School of Humanities) for description.
Dramatic Writing V: Screenwriting
DWR 3000 / 4 credits / Fall
Completion of a full-length work. Collaboration with actors and directors from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film is encouraged.
Prerequisite: DWR 2010
Dramatic Writing VI: Playwriting
DWR 3010 / 4 credits / Spring
Completion of a full-length work. Collaboration with actors and directors from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film is encouraged.
Prerequisite: DWR 3000
Dramatic Writing VI: Screenwriting
DWR 3015 / 4 credits / Spring
Students work closely with each other and with the instructor to craft treatments, loglines, and the initial draft of a feature-length screenplay.
Prerequisite: DWR 3000
Writers’ Scene Workshop I: Writing
DWR 3105 / 4 credits / Fall
Under the supervision of a professional writer/director, students write brief scenes, which are produced in the second semester (DWR 3115).
Writers’ Scene Workshop II: Production
DWR 3115 / 4 credits / Spring
A continuation of DWR 3105. Students work with a filmmaker to produce the scenes written in DWR 3105.
Prerequisite: DWR 3105
The Writer and the Documentary
DWR 3120 / 4 credits / Fall
Students prepare story treatments for the documentaries that they hope to develop. Deep research is essential. Critical scenes are shot on tape and reviewed, if necessary, final narration is written.
Documentary Theatre: Performing Real Life
DWR 3500 Refer to DRA 3500 in Drama Studies Courses (School of Humanities) for description.
Adapting Literature for Performance
DRA 3725 Refer to Drama Studies Courses (School of Humanities) for description.
Writing for Television
DWR 4000 / 4 credits / Fall
A history of the medium, plus elements of writing for the small screen (e.g., the sitcom, television movies, documentary, experimental forms).
The Business of Writing
DWR 4100 / 2 credits / Spring
An introduction to the realities of the field. Students meet with professional playwrights and screenwriters to learn about the opportunities and pitfalls that beginning dramatic writers face.
Senior Seminar
DWR 4170 and 4171 / 4 credits (per semester) / Every year
The process of translating the written word onto the stage is investigated, and text is refined and distilled into its most palpable, active form. Students develop tools for augmenting characters, scenes, and plays, working toward the development of short pieces that may be used in the dramatic writing showcase in the spring semester. This two-semester seminar is designed to provide insight into the process of directorial conceptualization.
Prerequisite: DWR 3115
Senior Project: Playwriting
DWR 4180 and 4181 / 4 credits (per semester) / Every year
The two-semester culminating project for dramatic writing majors in the playwriting concentration. In the fall, students complete a full-length play or two one-act plays for presentation as a staged reading. In the spring, students complete a full-length work for presentation as either a staged reading or production. Required for senior dramatic writing majors who are concentrating in playwriting.
Senior Project: Screenwriting
DWR 4190 and 4191 / 4 credits (per semester) / Every year
The two-semester culminating project for dramatic writing majors in the screenwriting concentration. Students complete one screenplay in the fall and another screenplay in the spring, so that they graduate with two screenplays in their portfolio. Required for senior dramatic writing majors who are concentrating in screenwriting.
Advanced Studies in Screenwriting
DRW 4200 / 2 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Intensive work with selected advanced writers on their screenplay projects.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Updated July 31, 2008 (no change from the 2008–2010 College Catalog text)