News | OHIO | Ohio University MFA Playwriting Program

See Tyler’s play in Ohio this month!

March 2, 2017
by catherineforever666
· News · Productions

Recent alum Tyler Whidden’s thesis play “Occupation: Dad” is at Ensemble Theater in Cleveland later this month! It is the 2017 selection for the Columbi New Play Fest.

Here is what Tyler wrote about the play on Facebook!

“You guys, this is my play. I hope you can see it.

This play is not about my life.
This play is not about my fears.
This play is not about my shortcomings.
This play is not about my relationship with my son.
This play is not about staying home with my son.
This play is not about that time my son fell off the bed when I was home
with my son.
This play is not about my relationship with my family.
This play is not about how my family thought I sucked at hockey.
This play is not about how I sucked at hockey.
This play is not about my wife.
This play is not about my wife who works hard.
This play is not about how my son loves my wife more than me.

You guys, this is my play. I hope you can see it.”

Congrats Tyler! Everyone should go check out this funny and moving new play! We love you Tyler!

More details on show

Click here to RSVP for FB event

click here to get tickets

OCCUPATION DAD by Tyler Whidden
Jason has a job, okay? He just works from home now. Things are tough nowadays what with the economy and all. So, stop looking at him like that. Lots of dads stay home with their babies. Right? It’s no big deal and it’s really not that tough. Except his kid won’t walk. And his mother won’t help. And his older brother’s a jerk-off. And his sister’s kids are already perfect and the playground moms are psychotic and everybody on Facebook hates him. But, other than all that, everything is just hunky-dory. Except his dad – you know what, forget his dad. It’s fine. Seriously. Everything is…
March 17th-April 2nd. (MS) Fridays & Saturdays @8pm. Sundays @2pm.

More about Tyler

Tyler Whidden was born and raised in Cleveland, OH where he grew up the least-talented son of a hockey-first family. After earning his BFA in Playwriting at Ohio University, he began a tragic career as a stand-up comic based out of Seattle, WA. As a comedian, Tyler was labeled by critics and fans alike as, “hilarious,” “tragic,” and “probably stoned.”

After years of toiling on the road, he moved to Chicago where he returned to theater, studying and working with Victory Gardens and the Neo-Futurists theaters among many others. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and worked as Director of Education with the great Ensemble Theatre of Cleveland.

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Bianca Sams has reading in Chicago this month!

March 2, 2017
by catherineforever666
· Chicago · News

Bianca Sams has a reading of her play “Battle Cry” in Chicago with 20% theater. It will be at the Berry United Methodist Church at 8pm from March 8th-11th, Wednesday-Saturday. 20% theater has also done works by alums Sarah Bowden and current playwright Rachel Bykowski.

Here is what the play’s about: “In March of 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin dreams of going to college to become a lawyer to fight for Civil Rights. One day, while taking the bus to school, the driver tells Claudette to give up her seat. When Claudette refuses, she is harassed by the police officers, and put on trial for violating the segregation laws. Her refusal to give up her seat sparked a protest against the bus company and sets in motion one of the greatest moments in the Civil Rights movement.”

Go see it if you’re in Chicago! Congrats Bianca!! Keep on rockin’ it!

Details

March 8th – 11th, 2017

Berry United Methodist Church (4754 N Leavitt St)

Wednesday – Saturday at 8:00.

Click here to RSVP on the Facebook event

click here to buy tickets and learn more about the show!

More about Bianca

Bianca Sams is an Actor/Writer hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her plays are lyrical investigations of found stories out of today’s headlines or the pages of history, that ask audiences to face their own complex love affair with misery. She recently finished her MFA in Playwriting at Ohio University. She received her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School, where she earned the distinction of being Tisch’s first ever Triple Major (Acting, Dramatic Writing, Africana Studies). Awards and honors include KCACTF Lorraine Hansberry (2nd place), Rosa Parks Award (2nd place), Kennedy Center/Eugene O’Neill New Play Conference fellow, Jane Chambers Student Playwright Award/Athe (2ndPlace), Scott McPherson Award, The Playwright Center Core Apprentice (2014), Playwright Foundation BAPF (finalist), Eugene O’Neill NPC (semi-finalist), TRI Research Fellowship at Ohio State University, Nashville Rep/Ingram New Play Lab Playwright- In-Residence, and T. S. Eliot Acting Fellowship. She is represented by Echo Lake Management.

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Read about Anthony’s Exciting Projects in Texas!

February 28, 2017
by catherineforever666
· News

Alumni Anthony Ellison won his second “Best of” Frontera Fest Award for his play God’s Rabbit Hole. Here is the blurb for it, “Jean is married and in the middle of a sexual crisis; she is completely unfulfilled, so she turns to God for guidance to ultimate ecstasy.” Frontera Fest is a is “five weeks of alternative, offbeat, new, and just plain off-the-wall fringe theatre. Too bad there’s no actual way to expect the unexpected, because that is your only hope.” The fest is based in Austin, Texas.

Anthony also wrote the script for the 48 hour film festival winner in San Antonio!

Congrats Anthony!!

More about Anthony

Anthony Ellison is a playwright originally from Muncie, IN, graduating from Ball State University with a B.S. in Creative writing, though his work was mostly comedy driven. He spent 10 years in Chicago, writing, acting, directing and improvising at Second City, Annoyance Productions and Chemically Imbalanced Theater. He received an MFA in playwriting from Ohio University, where he won the Scot McPherson award for his physique. The North Star which was produced at Chemically Imbalanced Theater in Chicago (2012) and The Drilling Company space in New York City, by Standing Panda (2013). Other full-length productions include Texas Sheen and Guillotine, at Chemically Imbalanced Theater. His one act play, The New Sue was produced in Liverpool, England at Grin Theatre. Shitbrick Merlot and We Killed The Care Bears were produced at Annoyance Theater. His ten minute play Tomorrow, was produced at American Theater Company’s Big Shoulders Festival, as well as a staged reading of his play Put the Action in Reaction, at Chicago Dramatists.

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“Party Game” Madness coming this Friday!

February 20, 2017
by catherineforever666
· Madness

The next madness of the school year will be produced by second year playwright, Cristina Luzarraga! Her prompt is “Party Game” Madness! For her madness, she has asked the playwrights to explore characters who are strangers onstage.

Here is an excerpt from the prompt:

For this Madness I want you to explore the intersection of party games and personal confrontation and/or revelation. You will each be assigned a specific party game, and you are tasked with using that game as a means to express your characters’ truths and desires. I am interested in how games figure into everyday life and how we use them for more than just having fun. What are your characters’ ulterior motives? Why are they playing this game in particular? Are they playing a game or are they for real, and is there a difference?

The show is Friday, February 24th, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness the fall semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Cristina:

Cristina Luzarraga was born and raised in Short Hills, New Jersey, save for a few teenage years spent in London, England. She graduated in 2011 from Princeton University with B.A. in Comparative Literature. Subsequently, she moved to Chicago where she studied sketch writing and improvisation at iO Theatre and The Second City Conservatory and performed stand-up comedy at Zanies and elsewhere. Her full-length play Due Unto Others was produced by Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts. Her short plays Hippo Woman and Baker’s Three were produced at Greenhouse Theater in Chicago.

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Qui’s play “Vietgone” written up about on NBC News.com

February 13, 2017
by catherineforever666
· alumni · News

Qui Nguyen’s play “Vietgone” is on fire!! It is especially timely because its a refugees story.

Here’s an excerpt from the article on NBC news about this play and the momentum its gathering:

“For Nguyen, writing a story about Vietnamese refugees was his way of humanizing Asian Americans and refugees of all races. He notes that, unintentionally, the play reflects today’s Syrian refugee crisis, the stigma that comes with immigration, and experience of starting over in a new country.

“That’s what’s so great about art: it allows us to humanize people and create bridges between people,” Nguyen said. “Lots of different people are part of the American fabric. That’s what our country was founded on.”

So far, the show has run in California, Oregon, Washington, and New York, playing its last show at the Manhattan Theatre Club this past December. Its success there opened doors for a regional production in Minnesota at Mixed Blood Theatre from April 10 to 30 this year — timed to coincide with the Fall of Saigon’s 42nd anniversary.

Orange County’s South Coast Repertory and the Manhattan Theatre Club have also commissioned sequels: two new plays covering Nguyen’s family history and the Vietnamese refugee experience. These shows are scheduled to go on stage every two years: play two in 2018 and play three in 2020. They will first play in California, Nguyen said.”

Read the article here

Congrats Qui!!

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Philana has reading at La Mama this month!

February 13, 2017
by catherineforever666
· Current Students · Events · News · Reading

Philana Omortionmwan’s timely and moving play “Before Evening Comes” will be read at the prestigious La Mama Theater in NYC on Monday, February 27th at 7pm. It will be directed by Nephrii Amenii and will be part of La Mamas Experiment Reading Series.

Here is a little bit about the play:

“With his 13th birthday around the corner, Totome is excited to meet “the butcher” and finally become a man. His mother, however, hopes to keep him whole for just a little while longer. Before Evening Comes is a poetic exploration of what becomes of black boys and men in a dystopian future rooted in the belief that the black male body is a threat to public safety.”

Congrats Philana! Check it out if you’re in NYC!!

More Info On event

February 27th, at 7pm, La Mama Gallerua/ 47 Great Jones Street

Click here to get a reservation

More about Philana

Philana Omorotionmwan is originally from Baton Rouge, LA where she was born to a Louisiana Creole mother and a Nigerian father. Production of Philana’s short plays includes THE SETTLEMENT (Ensemble Studio Theatre) and BLACK BOYS DON’T DANCE (Manhattan Theatre Source). BEFORE EVENING COMES was recently developed as part of the 2016 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (Playwrights Foundation) and the Br!nk New Play Festival (Renaissance Theaterworks). Her ten-minute play DIS DA HOOD is currently a finalist for the 2016 Heideman Award. Philana earned her BA from Stanford University where she began writing plays under the mentorship of Cherríe Moraga. Philana is currently pursuing an MFA in Playwriting at Ohio University. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.

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Bianca featured in “We for She” list!

February 7, 2017
by catherineforever666
· alumni · News

Alum Bianca Sams is being recognized for her TV writing work! Her TV pilot “BLACKTHORN” is one of the featured pilots on WeforShe, Here’s a little bit about her show:

BLACKTHORN

By Bianca Sams

BLACKTHORN follows Davion Littlefield, an investigative journalist and tv host, after the suspicious death of someone she loves. Hell bent on finding the truth at any cost, Davion thrusts herself into a dangerous rabbit hole of military secrets and conspiracies.

Here is a little bit about this list:

“Despite awareness of gender disparity being at an all time high, the stats for women remain stagnant. The 2015-2016 Boxed In Report revealed, “women comprise 26% of creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast network, cable, and streaming programs – no change from 2012-2013.”

WeForShe’s goal is to improve the numbers of female storytellers employed in the industry. By sourcing industry executives for their favorite scripts, we provide the town with a curated list of the best available female-driven scripts. In just a couple years, the WriteHer List has become a go-to resource for industry-vetted, quality female-driven scripts available for television. We’ve seen writers showcased on our list get staffed, have pilots optioned, find new representation and set up deals at networks. “

Congrats Bianca!

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Bianca’s new TV show “Training Day” premieres tomorrow!

February 1, 2017
by catherineforever666
· News

Bianca Sams is a writer on the new TV show “Training Day” which will premiere on CBS at 10pm, tomorrow night, February 2nd!

Here’s a little more about the show:

Training Day is a crime thriller that begins 15 years after the events of the feature film, about a young, idealistic police officer who is tapped to go undercover in an elite squad of the LAPD where he partners with a morally ambiguous veteran detective. Detective Frank Rourke is the maverick head of the Special Investigation Section (S.I.S.) that hunts the city’s most dangerous criminals, and one of the finest investigators the department has ever produced. However, when the LAPD brass notices Rourke’s penchant for operating in a gray area to fight the war on crime, they assign Kyle Craig, a heroic, untarnished cop, to pose as Frank’s trainee to spy on him and report on his off-book methods. The members of Frank’s loyal team include Rebecca Lee, a formidable officer with killer aim and a dark past, and Tommy Campbell, a former pro surfer who follows Frank’s orders without hesitation. The team’s cases find Frank and Kyle often crossing paths with Detective Valeria Chavez, one of the LAPD’s top investigators. Providing Frank with intel is his girlfriend, Holly Butler, a well-connected, unapologetic Hollywood madam. While LAPD Deputy Chief Joy Lockhart coolly puts Kyle in danger in her mission to take down Frank, Kyle’s schoolteacher wife, Alyse, worries her husband’s resolve to avenge the murder of his father, a cop, may be his undoing. As Frank starts teaching his principled trainee the way of the streets where the ends often justify the means, they form an uneasy alliance that will change the course of both their lives irrevocably.

Watch a preview here

Congrats Bianca!! Check the show out on CBS!

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First year MFA Playwrights are finalists for Scripps contest!

February 1, 2017
by catherineforever666
· Current Students · News

Our current first year class: Trip Venturella, Katherine Varga and Inna Tyrlin are finalists for the Scripps Innovation Challenge. the OU website describes it as:

The 5th Annual Scripps Innovation Challenge is a university-wide student competition to create innovative solutions to real-world media and communication problems. It is open to all Ohio University students, regardless of major. The goal is to harness the creativity of Ohio University students to develop new and innovative products, tools, or strategies that could be the basis for a startup business or a new entrepreneurial venture by an established company.

The Post recently interviewed them about their project!!

Here is a little sample of that:

The second finalist team, The Players, includes Trip Venturella, Kathrine Varge and Inna Tsyrlin, three first-year graduate playwriting students. They chose to create a team to think outside the box and focus on how their skills as writers can also make a difference.

“We were like ‘wouldn’t it be cool not only to engage a different part of our brains than the artistic playwriting part, but also develop something that might someday be employed to having social good or social benefit,’ ” said Venturella.

Their challenge came from the National Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes wildlife protection. The challenge required looking at today’s media and coming up with an innovative way to educate people about the organization’s mission while also raising money.

“It was a matter of looking at the media itself, like the internet, and saying ‘OK, when people go to the internet, what are most people interested in? What will grab their attention?’ ” Varge said.

Read full article about them here Congrats Katherine, Inna and Trip!!! We hope you win!

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“Paper Moon” Madness coming this Friday!

January 30, 2017
by catherineforever666
· Madness · News

Second year MFA playwright, Natasha Smith, shall be producing “Paper Moon” Madness this week!!!! She has assigned each playwright to write a short farce.

Here’s an except from her prompt:

“Can love and belief transform a paper moon, or is it always a deception? Why do we believe in comforting things, and what do we find comforting in hard times?

Listen to the song here

The Madness show is February 3rd, 11pm, in the Hahne Black Box theater. Admission is free. We recommend you get there 45 to 60 minutes ahead of time to assure yourself a seat.

For more information about Madness this spring semester, check out our Madness page.

More about Natasha

Natasha Smith’s play Catapult was a semi-finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and received a staged reading with Arizona Theatre Company in 2014, where she served as the Artistic Intern for two years. She has also worked with Horizon Theatre and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Natasha’s play In Her Place was produced at Amherst College, where she studied Theater/Dance and English, and won the Denis Johnston Playwriting Award from Smith College. She has taught creative writing in the US and in Kenya, and is a three-time recipient of the Roland Wood Fellowship from Amherst College. www.natashawrites.com

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