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Meet THe Team
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There are a lot of ways to build an "evening of theatre." Full length plays rule the roost, but one-act play festivals, ten-minute play festivals, and even one-minute play festivals all offer opportunities for dramatic work to be performed and to entertain audiences in satisfying ways. Like their counterparts in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, playwrights are able to tell complete stories through a variety of forms, and this leads to a variety of experiences for readers, producers, and audiences alike.
In this three-hour class, we will explore model examples of short plays ranging from one-minute to one-act and discuss the formal elements that cause playwrights to choose some forms over others when realizing their narrative ambitions. Participants will come away from this class with a broadened understanding of playwriting as an art form and, if so inclined, the beginnings of one or more new short pieces for the stage. Open to first-time playwrights, veteran dramatists, and anyone in between.
• In-Class Writing Lift: Light
• Homework: None
• Workshopping Drafts: None
Sam Heyman (he/they) is a gay, non-binary playwright, fiction writer, and educator based in Nashville, TN. A graduate of Denison University and a long-time member of The Porch, Sam has written, taught, performed, learned, and lived in the Nashville area for much of his life. Their prose has been published in Hashtag Queer, Typehouse Literary Magazine, and Ordinary Space, and their plays have been presented and produced on physical and virtual stages across the country, including the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival and The Exit Theatre’s Short Play Festival in 2024. Sam’s plays have been developed with support from the Sewanee Writers Conference, the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, the Valdez Theatre Conference, the Desert Playwrights Retreat, and the Midwest Dramatists Conference, among other organizations. Sam is passionate about new play development, adapting his own fiction for the stage, and experimenting with form in whatever way he can. Currently, Sam serves as the producer of the monthly virtual Playwrights Thriving Reading Series and facilitates play readings for friends and colleagues as he is able.
Though a long-time Porch member, Sam is new to teaching with The Porch. Welcome, Sam!
