Dramatists Guild & Northwestern Announce Writers for Chicago Intensive

The Dramatists Guild of America and Northwestern University announce the selection of Nambi E. Kelley, Chelsea Marcantel, Lily Mooney, Bruce Murphy, Gwendolyn Rice, Gloria Bond Clunie, Steve and Karen Multer and Ethan Deppe for the second annual Dramatists Guild Chicago Intensive supported by the Dramatists Guild and hosted by Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The Intensive is the out-of-town arm of the successful Dramatists Guild Fellows program, linking emerging playwrights and musical theater writers from the Midwest region in a close-knit and safe atmosphere for work and critique, and encouraging a sense of community with established New York and Chicago theatre professionals.

The Intensive will take place September 12 to 15, 2011, and will be led by the Tony Award-winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, creators of Once On This Island, Seussical, and the recent Broadway revival of Ragtime; Carol Hall, the composer and lyricist of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; Andrea Lepcio (Looking for the Pony, Room 16); Laura Schellhardt (The K of D); Douglas Post, DG Chicago Regional Rep (Earth and Sky, Murder in Green Meadows, The Wind in the Willows); Thomas Bradshaw (Burning, The Bereaved), Zayd Dohrn (Want, Outside People), and Rebecca Gilman, author of Magnolia, Spinning into Butter, and Blue Surge, all produced at the Goodman Theatre. Gilman and Schellhardt are both faculty members at Northwestern University.

Also planned is a public event on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:00 pm, "Living and Working in Today's Theater: A Conversation with Nine Award-Winning Dramatists," to be held at Northwestern's Ethel M. Barber Theater. The Intensive's master teachers will engage in a roundtable discussion about living and working in the theater today. These dedicated composers, lyricists and playwrights will share how they got their starts and developed their careers, and how they face the many challenges of writing for the contemporary American theater. The event is free and will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Advance reservations are not being taken. Doors will open at 6:15 pm.

The Dramatists Guild of America was established over 80 years ago and is the only professional association that advances the interests of playwrights, composers, lyricists and librettists writing for the living stage. The Guild has over 6,000 members nationwide, from beginning writers to the most prominent authors represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in regional theatres.

Founded in 1851, Northwestern University is one of the country's leading private research and teaching universities. At Northwestern, the Dramatists Guild Chicago Intensive will be hosted by the Department of Theatre; the Department of Radio, Television and Film's MFA in Writing for the Stage and Screen; and the American Music Theatre Project.

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