Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Get an MFA in No Shame Studies

Todd Ristau here. I wanted to make sure that No Shamers know about something exciting going on in Roanoke. I’ve been hired by Hollins University to create and run a new graduate program in playwriting. Several things make it different from other playwriting programs.

1) It sees No Shame as a very important experiential learning lab, and anyone with a No Shame background has a respectable resume credit that will be a plus in review of applications.

2) It is not a program designed to crank out "professional writers", but is designed to provide a useful education and valuable skill set for whatever purpose the writer of plays wishes them to be used for. We want to help people be professional writers if they wish, but also excellent dramaturges, literary managers, publishers, arts educators, leaders of youth theatre companies, sophisticated play goers, Artistic Directors, etc.

3) It is designed to bring together in a workshop/retreat atmosphere emerging writers and working professionals from all aspects of our collaborative artform to create lasting personal and professional relationships built on cooperation rather than competition.

4) Rather than a single cohort working only with each other for three years and then being turned out on their own, each academic session will bring together a large number of students at varying stages of degree completion, creating interesting mentorship possibilities for all students and a dynamic learning environment.

5) It is flexible and affordable because it is a summer only program, with 60 credit hours taken in 6-week intensive sessions over 4-5 summers.

6) This program is designed to advocate for student work in the professional world, so that students will likely have legitimate professional credits prior to graduation and a network of supportive artists and arts organizations to assist them after graduation.

7) The director of the program is also the Literary Associate of Mill Mountain Theatre, a professional playhouse with a 40 year history of encouraging new writing and supporting playwrights through programs like The Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works, Underground Ronaoke, No Shame Theatre, CenterPieces, and the Discovery Reading Series.

8) No Shame alums who are working in the professional world will be visiting faculty and guest speakers, including Ruth Margraff, Naomi Wallace, Jeff Goode, and many others...maybe even you someday!

For more detailed information on this or the other summer graduate programs in creative writing at Hollins University, please visit:

http://www.hollins.edu/husummerwriting/

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Iowa City, Nov 17, 2006

Lip Synch Night!

The order is in the comments.

Enjoy break, and keep making BONS nominations. Next show and BONS order announcement Dec. 1.

Labels:

Roanoke Order from 11.17.06

An excellent show was had by all. There was singing and pot banging and WASP conspiracies, and poetry, and puppets, and time travelling heroes.

What more could you ask for?

Click comments to see the acutal order.

Labels:

Saturday, November 11, 2006

IC BONS Nominations

The rest of the year looks like this:
November 17: Lip Synch night
November 24: no show (Thanksgiving weekend)
December 1 : Dead Week (there is a show, but pieces are not eligible for Best Of until spring)
December 8: BEST OF NO SHAME FALL 2006

If you have nominations for Best Of
Voice them as responses to this post. Everything from this semester, dead week of last semester, and all new work from festival week is eligible.
We will announce the Best Of order on December 1.

Also
We have discussed asking the department for permission to have BONS at an earlier time (10 PM? 9 PM?). If this affects your availability or enthusiasm, speak up.

Labels:

No Shame Iowa City, 11/10/06

There was a show. Click COMMENTS to read all about it.

Next week is LIP SYNCH NIGHT.
IF YOU HAVE A LIP SYNCH PIECE: please bring 2 light booth copies of your script

Labels:

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Iowa City, November 3, 2006

Order and reviews under comments.

Labels: