DM Playhouse Presents a Teen Workshop on Playwriting

By: Stephi Wild Oct. 08, 2019

The Des Moines Community Playhouse kicks off a season of monthly Teen Theatre Workshops, on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, 1:00-4:00 PM, with Playwriting with Karen Schaeffer. The workshop is open to all interested teens in grades 7-12. Registration is $9 per person. Registrations may be made online at dmplayhouse.com, by phone at 515-954-7685, or at the Playhouse, 831 42nd St.

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? In this workshop, local playwright Karen Schaeffer will help teens find their own voice by experimenting with style and structure. The workshop's goal is to expand a student's playwriting artistic vocabulary and move from process to product. Students will learn the basic style for formatting a script and strategies to overcome common writing problems. Teens will write and revise their very own script; they may bring in a piece they have already written or start from scratch. The session will combine in-class writing with sharing of pages for feedback.

Teen Theatre Workshops are monthly seminars, October 2019-May 2020, in which students in grades 7-12 participate in hands-on workshops led by Des Moines area theatre professionals. Each month features a new topic and new expert. This season features a wide variety of experiences including playwriting with Karen Schaeffer, Oct. 12, 2019; improv with Nate Jorgensen, Nov. 16, 2019; improv with Comedy Xperiment, Dec. 14, 2019; audition song selection with Katy Merriman, Jan. 18, 2020; lighting design with David Kilpatrick, Feb. 8, 2020; audition monologue selection with Erin Horst, Mar. 28, 2020; audition dance basics with Megan Helmers, Apr. 4, 2020; and directing 101 with Brad Dell, May 16, 2020.

The Playhouse, now in its 101st season, is one of the oldest and largest community theatres in the US. Located at the 42nd Street exit of I-235, the theatre has presented a full season of shows since 1919 and also offers a wide variety of educational experiences including classes for ages 4 to adult, theatre trips to New York, and volunteer opportunities onstage and backstage.

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