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Playwriting MFAs


dampka

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March 11 and 12.  She didn't mention other interviewees either way, so I don't know much about other calls.

 

ETA: Also, thank you! I can't believe I forgot that, sorry.

Edited by teethwax
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That is awesome, teethwax!! Those unexpected surprises are so welcome. I also applied to Yale but won't wait for the call/email, etc. If it's meant to be it will happen.

 

Just be yourself. That's what got you the interview in the first place. :)  

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Congratulations, teethwax! You're killin' it with interviews!

 

Also, have any of y'all participated in the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Alaska? Just found out one of my plays is getting a reading there (yay!), and I was just curious if any of you GradCafe-ers have any previous experience with the conference? 

 

Also, failsafe, that Wikihow page is maybe the best thing I've ever seen:

 

"If you see a movie, you're not writing something easy to put on in a theater. Trust me. That means, no millions of people (many is fine as long as you use them all in more than one scene, actors don't like being used once), no gun battles on and off buildings (on the ground is fine, but the audience doesn't like more than one gunshot per act unless it's occasional and NEEDED.)"

 

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY PLAY ABOUT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ONLY USED ONCE HAVING GUN BATTLES ON AND OFF BUILDINGS.

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Thanks, everybody! And congratulations, longwalk.  I've never been to that conference, but it sounds pretty cool.  Do you still have time to fix your gun-battle-buildings play??

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Longwalk, I'm going to Last Frontier this year! I have a couple friends who go and love it. I think it will be great.

Puttputt, how did you hear from Ohio? Email or postal mail?

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Interestingly, I haven't been submitting much this year. I'm in writing mode. You can't submit if you don't write. It's a strange place to be in because leading up to the grad apps, I was submitting like a madwoman. Now, I feel like I also need to wait until this grad app season is over. Is anyone else in the same place?

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Longwalk, I'm going to Last Frontier this year! I have a couple friends who go and love it. I think it will be great.

Puttputt, how did you hear from Ohio? Email or postal mail?

 

postal mail.

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oh and @eccentricdreamer--i haven't been submitting lately, either (except to NYFA in mid-january).  i still feel like i'm recovering from finishing the play i submitted to grad schools (it was pretty dark/emotionally intense).  but i just started a new writing class last night and am fumbling my way through the first draft of a new play.  i think it ebbs and flows.  ideally i'll have a well-oiled machine in place where i'm constantly both writing and submitting, but i'm still a few life hurdles (mainly my full-time day job) away from being able to maintain that level of output and so i'm giving myself a break about it!

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Hello all! I've been reading along for a few weeks and finally decided to join in on the conversation. I myself applied to two Playwriting MFAs this year (University of Texas at Austin and Indiana U) and also two regular Theatre MAs (Illinois U and Villanova). I just got done auditioning and interviewing with the faculty for Villanova's assistantships and scholarships this past friday and I think it went well. Haven't heard anything from the others yet and from what I understand no news is good news. But who knows. 

 

Congrats to you guys who got called for interviews! And also kudos to everyone for being so positive and supportive in all this :) I find myself needing a bit of that as well these days. Bit stressful but also very exciting!

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For what it's worth, I did get official word from Yale yesterday that all finalists have now been notified...@teethwax will have to carry the torch for the rest of us! =)

Holy shit.  I'm pretty nervous, but I'll try to do you guys proud!

 

Failsafe, I know what you mean about having to recover from some plays.  The one I submitted to schools was incredibly tough to write, and there were long stretches of time when I couldn't work on it.  I think those are the ones that are the most important to write.  Hope you can take some time for yourself and relax.

 

Congratulations, Longwalk and Misssharai! I got an email about a Columbia interview yesterday -- mine is on March 7, so I'll report back.  And welcome to the forum, Reds.  I don't have too many playwright friends in real life (mostly actors and directors), so this is a great place to have, especially when we can all freak out together.

 

I was also wondering -- what kind of writers are you guys? What do you think characterizes your style? Do you return to certain subjects or themes? I always like to know that stuff.  My style tends to be pretty spare -- if a character says more than twelve or fifteen words at a time, something is probably wrong.  I mostly write things that are sad, although I tried to make sure there were some solid funny bits in my latest play because its subject was so painful (the aftermath of child sexual abuse).  For a long time, I wrote about families and how tough it can be to love your family, but recently I've been focusing a lot more on the body and how we relate to our physical selves.

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Up to last year my plays always returned to the themes of family and and estranged relationships. I found however that although the plays worked (at least I hope they did), I was too caught up in the past, and my characters were afraid to move on (as was I) into new things. I have forced myself to try something completely new with the new play I'm writing. It's period (which scares the shit out of me) and I have to do a lot of research in order to give it historic accuracy. It's definitely been a slower process than just imagining characters and putting them onstage with no background whatsoever, but it has taught me to love it and cherish it even more. When I look back at my past plays I see lots of beats in them were based on my experiences growing up in a somewhat broken home, and that's okay to draw from for a playwright, but only to a point. 

I'm excited about expanding my horizons and trying new things, and I'm just now realizing how self-fulfilling and enjoyable writing is for me again when I'm not writing about my own past. 

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For what it's worth, I did get official word from Yale yesterday that all finalists have now been notified...@teethwax will have to carry the torch for the rest of us! =)

Just wondering, did they send out an email? I didn't receive anything in an email or snail mail...

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Just wondering, did they send out an email? I didn't receive anything in an email or snail mail...

 

No, I e-mailed their graduate admissions coordinator, and she responded (very nicely, btw--they are classy!) that finalists had all been notified, and they were waiting for the OK from the chair to release letters to the other applicants.

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No, I e-mailed their graduate admissions coordinator, and she responded (very nicely, btw--they are classy!) that finalists had all been notified, and they were waiting for the OK from the chair to release letters to the other applicants.

I see. Yale was my last pick so it's okay, for the most part. Still bites a little though....

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Congrats everyone on their interviews and acceptances! I got a call from and had an informal and really lovely interview with Charles Smith at Ohio yesterday. I'm going to try to go visit. They're calling their shortlist now (seems like a very loose shortlist, not "official" or anything like that) and want to make offers in about 3 weeks. Will keep you all posted!

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