The Art of the One Act Play

    Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at 6:00 PM until Wednesday, June 22, 2016 at 8:00 PMUTC -04:00


    Sarah Lawrence College
    1 Mead Way
    Bronxville, NY 10708
    United States

    Instructor: Franco D'Alessandro
    Length: 5 sessions, $450
    Wednesdays, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

    Students will read and study four one-act plays (by such authors as O'Neill, Childress, Albee, Williams as well as one from the instructor's own collection) with an emphasis on analysis and mastery of craft.  At the same time, students will work on an original play of their own through the process of developing character, emphasizing significance of time and place, layering motifs and symbols, structuring plot and conflict, and creating thematic development.  By the end of the semester each student will have written a first/second draft of a one-act play as well as gained insight into the art of playwriting.

    Franco D’Alessandro is an Irish-Italian-American playwright and native New Yorker who has had dozens of professional Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway and regional and international productions of his work.  From 1996-2001 there were a dozen New York productions of his one act plays at theaters such as HERE, Walker Space, and Soho Rep.  His 2002 Off-Broadway hit Roman Nights, which explores the artist/muse paradigm, vis-à-vis the tumultuous and dramatic life of stage and screen legend Anna Magnani and her inspirational friendship with the great playwright, Tennessee Williams, was published in the “Best Plays of 2002” and nominated for various awards.  This play was a critical and commercial success in both New York and in London in 2004. It opened in Prague in 2006 where it has been sold-out for nine years and is running through 2018.  The play continues to be produced all over the world; Roman Nights has been nominated for over 46 awards worldwide (12 for Best Play) and may soon be made into a feature film.  Franco's drama The Shattering -has been work-shopped at The Cherry Lane Theatre with Olympia Dukakis and Christina Zorich and is seeking a premiere production. And a forthcoming trilogy of plays entitled The Claddagh Ring Cycle deals with various facets of modern Irish-American life and should be completed by summer 2015.  Part One of this trilogy, the controversial Dancing Barefoot in the Dark, a 2015 Eugene O’Neill Semi-finalist, examines education and relationships as subtext for the British occupation of Ireland.

    In addition to his work as a writer, D'Alessandro holds a Master's Degree in English (theater/writing) Education from Fordham University and teaches drama, theatrical text analysis, and creative writing in New York City schools, is an adjunct at several American universities and often in Europe during the summers.   In 2011 a collection of his acclaimed one-act plays entitled Stranger Love was published, it has sold 1,500 copies and is available on-line and at NYC’s prestigious Drama Book Shop. Franco D’Alessandro is a 2001, 2002 & 2015 Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference Semi-Finalist, a 1998 & 2000 Edward F. Albee Foundation Residency recipient and 2000-2001 Cherry Lane Theatre Alternative Finalist and 2001 Princess Grace Award Nominee.  A 2000-2001 NEA/TCG Playwrights Nominee, a 1999 & 2000 Dorset Theater Colony Residency recipient and 2005 New Frontiers Playwright. Member Since 1997: The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. www.francodalessandro.com


    Writing Institute Registration Process:

    Step 1 - Registration Information: Complete this registration form in full.

    Step 2 - Payment: Once you click submit on this form, a new page will appear in your browser with a payment link. Click on the payment link, complete the required information, and submit your payment. 
     
    Payment is required for your registration to be confirmed. If we don’t receive your payment within 48 hours of submission of this form, your registration will automatically be cancelled. You will have to complete the form again if you wish to register for the class.

    Step 3 - Confirmation: Once we receive your payment, your registration will be finalized and confirmed with an email. Please keep this email for your records.  Details about room assignment, parking, and any other information relevant to the course will be emailed to registered students the week before classes begin.

    If you have questions about the registration process, please call us at 914-395-2205 or email sorefice@sarahlawrence.edu.

    Registration is no longer available because the event has been cancelled.