|
The William Inge Center for the Arts’
Professional Playwriting Certificate Program at Independence
Community College, Independence, Kansas, allows students to study
with working professional playwrights each semester. Usually, two
professional playwrights “team teach” each semester. By taking the
playwriting course (a 3 unit class) each semester for two years, you
will have the opportunity to work with eight accomplished, working
professional playwrights during your freshman and sophomore years of
college. We truly believe there is no other college in the
nation—including four-year schools—where one can have such intimate
contact with experienced playwright instructors as a freshman and
sophomore. In this four-semester program, students progress from
writing short scenes to one-acts and finally full-length plays,
while gaining insight into the workings of the profession.
We believe it is not enough to just
“write,” one must have something to write about. In addition to the
four semesters of playwriting, the program requires a variety of
other theatre and humanities classes to ensure that our students
receive a thorough grounding in theatre, the other arts disciplines
and the humanities. The Certificate program is capped off by a six
week internship at a leading professional theatre, providing
practical experience and contacts in the professional world. A list
of required classes follows this description.
Our playwriting instructors are also
our Playwrights-in-Residence; they reside in Independence at William
Inge’s Family Home, where they enjoy time to write and research
their new pieces and workshop new plays with professional guest
artists.
There is, of course, our nationally
renowned William Inge Theatre Festival. Each April, dozens of
multi-talented performers, directors, and playwrights will be here
at ICC, as well as the Playwrights-in-Residence. There are an
enormous number of workshops and performances throughout the Inge
Festival week. Admission is free for ICC students.
Playwriting students are eligible to
apply for significant financial aid from the Inge Festival
Foundation. When added to academic scholarships offered by ICC, we
are able to put together a very attractive financial aid package for
selected playwriting students.
How to Apply: We ask
playwriting scholarship applicants to fill out our William Inge
Festival Foundation scholarship application. The application
can be requested by e-mailing
Bruce Peterson. All
applicants must both apply for admission to Independence Community
College (application is free) on-line at
www.indycc.edu and also fill out
the federal student aid FAFSA form by visiting
www.fafsa.ed.gov and indicate for results to be forwarded to
Independence Community College. Without the FAFSA and
application to ICC, we cannot process your request for a playwriting
scholarship until they are completed.
Prospective applicants (and parents)
are most welcome to visit the campus. In the spring our
playwright/instructors are in residence through mid-May. There are
several excellent dates for visitation which feature special
programs, performances or workshops. Please contact us
regarding the best dates for visitation.
Playwriting students also participate
in ICC theater program classes and productions. ICC Theater
operates on a “conservatory” philosophy, with emphasis on training
common to those aspiring to professional work. Students also have
the choice of pursuing an AA degree as they work for their
certificate.
Since ICC is a small college, there
are ample opportunities to act, direct, and do technical theatre, as
well as write. ICC employs a full-time drama instructor and
full-time theater technician. The theatre performance program head
is professional actor Jon Sidoli,
jsidoli@indycc.edu .
The technical director is Denise Williams
dwilliams@indycc.edu .
Again, for further information,
contact Inge Center director Peter Ellenstein at
pellenstein@ingecenter.org or at (800) 842-6063, ext. 5490.
Below are the required classes to earn
a certificate. It can be coupled with an AA degree with additional
classes. The breaks represent a sample of each semester’s courses.
Playwriting
1
3
Eng. Comp (or
equivalent)
3
Theatre
Appreciation
3
Intro to Dramatic
Lit
3
Play Production
3
Playwriting
2
3
Acting
Fundamentals
3
Eng. Comp 2 (or equivalent)
3
Contemporary Dramatic
Lit
3
Music
Appreciation
3
Theatre Workshop (1-3
credits)
1-3
Playwriting
3
3
History of Modern
Civilization
3
General
Psychology
3
Art
Appreciation
3
Theatre Workshop (1-3
credits)
1-3
Playwriting
4
3
Directing for the
Stage
3
Elements of
Sociology
3
Intro to Theatre
Design
3
Introduction to
Philosophy
3
Theatre Workshop (1-3
credits)
1-3
Internship with professional theater
Total
60-66 |
