New York Stage and Film Reveals Participants For the 2023 Filmmakers' Workshop

New York Stage and Film has announced the early-career film and TV writers who have been selected to participate in the 2023 Filmmakers’ Workshop. The participants are Nancy Duff; Harrison Hamm; Drew Harper; Atticus Hoffman; Summera Howell; Anndi Jinelle Liggett; Allyson Morgan; Craig T. Williams; and G. Wilson. 

“New York Stage and Film is proud to host our 2023 workshop with a group of some of the most talented writers we have gathered to date,” said Interim Artistic Director Liz Carlson. “We are doing this in close collaboration with the Writer's Guild East (WGE) and are thrilled that this season can continue with their support.”

New York Stage and Film’s Filmmakers' Workshop supports a specially curated cohort of film and TV writers, selected via a highly competitive annual submissions process. Focusing on fresh, ambitious work, the workshop aims to prepare writers for success in an ever-evolving industry. Participants gather during the NYSAF Summer Season in the Hudson Valley, where they receive one-on-one feedback from industry professionals, a table read of their script with professional actors, attend masterclasses on various topics, and  live with larger artistic community of playwrights, musicians, and dancers.

The 2023 mentors are Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives, Fatal Attraction); Adam Higgs (Fubar); Michelle Denise Jackson (Queen Sugar, Generation); Geetika Lizardi (Bridgerton); Laura Marks (Servant); Max Mayer (Adam, Alias); Janine Nabers (Watchman, Swarm); Charlie Stratton (In Secret); Ray Utarnachitt and Matt Williams (Where the Heart Is, What Women Want). Masterclass teachers include Andy Hafitz, Bill Migliore, Blair Mclenndon, Shelby Stone and Leslie Urdang.

"I have a profound admiration for NYSAF's unwavering dedication to championing artists, particularly during this pivotal juncture in their careers,” said Mallom Liggon, Director of the Filmmakers’ Workshop.  “In an industry yearning for invigorating voices, our participants embody exactly that. This gratitude extends to our esteemed mentors, the talented actors, and the steadfast supporters of our company who tirelessly contribute and bring this workshop to fruition time and time again.”

The actors involved in the Filmmakers’ Workshop feature Taylor A. Blackman; Tommy Bo; Amaziah Buffin; Elizabeth Canavan; Angel Desai; Adriella Ann Gonclaves; Marion Grey; Irene Sofia Lucio; Genesis Oliver, Jaquel Spivey; Willow Stromer; Nedra Marie Taylor; Jon Tenney; Shakur Tolliver; Bubba Weiler; and Ayana Workman.

The 2023 Summer Season at Marist includes a new play workshop written and performed by Laurence Fishburne; the new musical workshop of A Wrinkle in Time; the launch of a new initiative to develop dance-driven musicals with Paradise Ballroom, created by Princess Lockerooo and Harold O’Neal; and play readings by Sopan Deb, Beth Henley, Emily Kaczmarek, and Jason Kim. Casting by Telsey & Co. For more New York Stage and Film at Marist College Summer Season information and to purchase individual tickets for workshops or “Pay What You Wish” readings, visit https://www.newyorkstageandfilm.org/summerseason

2023 PARTICIPANT BIOS:

NANCY DUFF is an Austin Film Festival Josephson Entertainment Fellowship winner and was included on the festival’s “25 Screenwriters to Watch” list for her script Company Man. The sci-fi dark comedy landed on the annual Blood List as part of the "Fresh Blood Edition” honoring up-and-coming voices in horror, thriller, sci-fi, and dark comedy genres. While participating in the Universal Pictures Feature Writing Program, Nancy wrote two action feature screenplays under the guidance of producers at Chris Morgan Productions and Mandeville Films. Her latest feature, Long Lost Christmas, premiered in 2022 on both the Hallmark Channel and Peacock streaming platforms. For over a decade, Nancy has worked in visual effects, which has influenced her to ground her imagined worlds on the page, where she often infuses her stories with relatable themes of family and loss. Nancy’s episodic work has been featured on the WriteHer List and is a ScreenCraft Fellowship winner. In 2022 she was a finalist in the Fox TV Incubator Program. With her latest work, SNARE, Nancy explores her southern roots and is excited to bring the project to New York Stage and Film. She is represented by Ryan Saul and Audrey Knox at The Cartel.

HARRISON HAMM is a queer, Autistic, and mixed-race film/TV comedy writer whose stories are driven by LGBTQIA+ themes, irreverent humor, a little punk rock, and a touch of the surreal. Born to a “bootstraps-American” farmer-businessman and the Filipina immigrant version of Dolly Parton, Harrison grew up a total outsider in rural Tennessee. Outed and excommunicated from his Southern Baptist church at 15-years-old, Harrison learned the hard way that laughter is a powerful resource for healing and surviving on the margins. Selected as a screenwriting fellow in Diverso's The Minority Report 2022 and a 2022 Diversity Initiative winner at Roadmap Writers, Harrison has received industry mentorship from creative executives and showrunners, such as Charles Rogers (Search Party) and Jen Statsky (Hacks). Now LA-based and graduated from Loyola Marymount University with dual bachelors in Screenwriting and Gender & Sexuality Studies, Harrison has recently worked as Executive Assistant at Big Swing Productions, interned at Outfest, published poetry, and developed scholarship at the intersection of queer theory, disability justice, and inclusive pedagogy.

DREW HARPER is a writer, researcher, and actor who lives in Los Angeles, interested in the confluence of American religious rituals and contemporary experience. Drew was a stage actor for many years. He worked as a journalist for Gayletter magazine in New York, and his writings on queer experience are published in VICE, Huffington Post, and mic.com. Drew’s book “Space At The Table: Conversations Between an Evangelical Theologian and His Gay Son” was co-written with his father, and their recording of the audiobook was nominated for an Audie award.  This is Drew’s first collaboration on a screenplay. Having experienced both homelessness and addiction over the course of many years, Drew is humbled to be joining Atticus in creating the world of these characters. 

ATTICUS HOFFMAN started his film career at Levantine Films, where he was a development assistant for producer Donna Gigliotti (Shakespeare In Love, Silver Linings Playbook). He then moved to the writing room of House of Cards, where he assisted Frank Pugliese and Melissa James Gibson, the showrunners of the award-winning program. Hoffman now lives and works as a filmmaker and script consultant in New York City. His current projects include Triptych, a proof-of-concept short horror film set to shoot February 2023, Last Day at Seventeen, a feature film adapted from the book of photography by Doug Dubois, and Good Days/Long Nights his directorial debut co-written with Drew Harper.

SUMMERA HOWELL is a Los Angeles based filmmaker and graduate of UCLA’s department of Theater.  2015’s I Will Love You, Always marked her writing / directing debut, followed by the shorts Perchance, Avowed, and Charlese. In 2021 her debut feature script Big, Strong, and Brave  placed as an Academy Nicholls Quarterfinalist, Austin Film Festival second rounder, and a Blacklist / Women in Film Feature Lab Semi-Finalist. In 2016, she was a SmashCut CineLab Film Fellow for her film Avowed. Summera created and spearheaded a #MeToo PSA made by an all-female crew of sexual harassment survivors, garnering over 750,000 views via multiple platforms including NowThis, The Huffington Post, and USA Today. She was a finalist for Shondaland/ Seriesfest's mentoring program. Her shorts have played at festivals nationwide. Current feature scripts include comedy Get Beanies or Die Tryin’ and feminist horror film The Teaching. Select acting credits include FX's “American Horror Story,” MTV's Teen Wolf, and Lena Waithe / Amazon's Them. 

ANNDI JINELLE LIGGETT is a writer, director, & producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She most recently won the Oscar-qualifying HBO Short Film Award for her magical-realist coming-of-age, Jelly, narrated by André Holland. Her satirical short, Clementine, was an official selection in 10 U.S festivals including the 2022 Laugh After Dark Film Festival where it won Best Film. Currently, Anndi is completing her thesis year at NYU Tisch's graduate film program. In addition, she is a member of the 2022 Marcie Bloom Fellowship in Film, a 2021 BAFTA Scholar, a 2021 Fellow for Diverso's Minority Report and was an intern for HBO's Original Programming department. Prior to film school, she was the Executive Assistant to Al Roker, supporting him at both NBC's “Today Show” and Al Roker Entertainment.

Allyson Morgan is a writer, producer, performer, and the founder and Executive Director of the award-winning film and theatre collective F*It Club. Her short film Need For Speed (Dating) premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, her short film Sitting, made its world premiere at SCAD Savannah Film Festival and won "Outstanding Narrative Short" at Tallgrass Film Festival, and First Date, her newest short produced by 20th Digital Studio, is currently airing on Hulu in their "Bite Size Halloween" series and is set to release as a feature film by Hulu titled Jagged Mind  in June 2023. She has twice been selected for the iTV/Catalyst Content Festival pitch competition, as well as a participant in Seriesfest’s Pitch-A-Thon. She has also been awarded “Best Teleplay” at Omaha Film Festival, twice been a top ten Finalist for Cinequest, a Finalist at Stowe Story Labs, and a Semi-Finalist at Austin Film Festival. Additionally, she has been awarded an Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation commission, an NG Art Creative Residency in France, a Monson Arts Residency in Maine, a Wassaic Project “Haunted Mill” residency, and four times been awarded a Juno Leadership Residency through the Omega Institute. Allyson was a part of the Webby Award-winning producing team for Dave Holstein and Alan Schmuckler's musical podcast “Wait, Wait, Don't Kill Me,” and she also co-created and produced “Ghosted,” an AR experience which was awarded “Most Innovative Immersive Experience” at North Bend Film Festival. She has written two original novels for Tapas media, Don’t Want To Remember You and The Perfect Place, reaching almost 400K views online.

CRAIG T. WILLIAMS is a native New Yorker, and a writer/producer/editor at Red Wall Productions, a film production company he founded over twenty years ago with his wife and partner of 21 years, Rosalyn Coleman Williams. Together they have created over 50 film projects including features, documentaries, and narrative short films. Craig was part of the prestigious WarnerMedia Discovery Discovery Access Writers Program (formerly the HBO All Access Writers Program.) Chosen one of 20 writers from over four thousand applicants, he created an original 30-minute TV Pilot.  Craig has many scripts in various stages of development including the award winning one-hour TV pilot “How Ya Like Me Now,” about the ‘80s rap rivalry between Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J, “Christmas In The Dreamhouse, a Movie Musical and a 30-minute dramedy inspired by his mother finding her long lost sister when they were both in their 60’s. His feature film “Unravel and Cut” has Academy Award Winner Viola Davis and Julius Tennon attached as Executive Producers.  Craig has taught writing for Film and TV at Wesleyan University. He’s a mentor for Women of Color Unite’s Mentorship Program, The Craft Institute, and teen filmmakers at Reel Works Mentorship Program in Brooklyn. Craig single-handedly runs the Facebook group, Black Screenwriters, with over twenty thousand members. Craig and his extraordinarily beautiful and patient wife Rosalyn have a spirited 18-year-old son and they make their living in the heart of New York City.

G. WILSON was raised in the sin and excess of Las Vegas and developed a tendency for the strange early on. After writing and producing a slew of warped comedy and horror content, he earned his MFA in Screenwriting from the AFI Conservatory. As a storyteller, G. Wilson believes in pushing the boundaries of convention and exploring the darker corners of the human psyche with an eye for absurdity. His creative process often involves drawing inspiration from real-life experiences and reimagining them through a twisted lens. His short films have been screened at over 35 international film festivals. His screenplays have placed in a number of competitions including the Austin Film Festival, Screencraft, Launch Pad, Cinestory, and Filmmatic. G.'s latest short film, Dinner is Served, is now streaming on Disney+. His next short film, Ash Valley is in post-production. He currently co-leads a creator’s room in Rob McElhenney's (It's Sunny in Philadelphia) new web3 venture, Adimverse.

ABOUT NEW YORK STAGE AND FILM

New York Stage and Film is a not-for-profit company dedicated to artists developing new stories for theater, film and beyond by supporting responsive processes and by providing a home for artists free from critical and commercial pressures. Since 1985, New York Stage and Film has been a vital incubator for emerging and established artists and their work, a catalyst for stories that start with us and continue across the country and around the world. Through this work, NYSAF has established itself as a vital cultural institution for residents of the Hudson Valley and the New York metropolitan region. The New York Times calls the company a “formidable breeding ground for new work,” and dozens of notable works trace their developmental roots to NYSAF, including the Tony Award winners Hamilton, Hadestown, Side Man and The Humans; Broadway productions such as American Idiot, Junk, and Bright Star; and Pulitzer winners and finalists such as Doubt, The Wolves and Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. www.newyorkstageandfilm.org.

ABOUT MARIST COLLEGE

Located on the banks of the historic Hudson River and at its Florence, Italy campus, Marist College is a comprehensive, independent institution grounded in the liberal arts. Its mission is to “help students develop the intellect, character, and skills required for enlightened, ethical, and productive lives in the global community of the 21st century.” Marist is consistently ranked among the best colleges and universities in America by The Princeton Review (Colleges That Create Futures and The Best 386 Colleges), U.S. News & World Report (3rd Most Innovative School/North), Kiplinger’s Personal Finance (“Best College Values”), and others. The College is top ranked for long-term study abroad (#3 in the U.S.) by the U.S. State Department’s Open Doors report. Along with the College’s prestigious reputation as a whole, it also boasts a robust Arts and Music scene for its students and the community. Marist offers more than 15 academic programs in music and arts including Art History, Digital Media, Studio Art, Music, Theatre, and its world-renowned Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising programs, ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Colleges That Are Shaping The Future of Fashion.” Marist also provides a wide range of non-academic opportunities in the arts, such as over 15 College-and student-run music ensemble groups and the Marist Theatre program and performances. The College also operates the Institute for Data Center Professionals, which provides individuals and corporate teams with skills-based education and credentialing to support the data center and enterprise computing environments of the future. Marist educates more than 5,000 traditional-age undergraduate students and 1,400 adult and graduate students in 47 undergraduate majors and numerous graduate programs, including fully online MBA, MPA, MS, and MA degrees, and also Doctor of Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant programs.

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