The Blank Theatre Announces Young Playwrights Academy For Summer 2020

The Blank Theatre in Hollywood has announced the inaugural season of the Young Playwrights Academy. All classes, which will begin on July 20 and run through August 16, will be conducted live via Zoom. YPA offers a platform for young writers to expand their skills in a professional environment, with small class sizes, enhancing what they already know. Said Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director of The Blank, "We are thrilled and excited to launch this exciting extension of our premiere Young Playwrights Festival program to offer classes that provide professional development for new and diverse artistic voices."

For three decades, The Blank Theatre has showcased the unique voices of talented writers ages 19 and younger. Its nationwide Young Playwrights Festival is the premiere venue for young people to share their original stories. As part of the YPF prize, winning playwrights receive world-class mentorship opportunities. Now, that kind of education and mentorship to others is available through the Young Playwrights Academy.

The YPA experience will create a safe and nurturing atmosphere to empower young people to enhance their creative perspectives and enrich their writing. The Blank believes that artistic education must focus on eventually working in the professional world and, therefore, YPA will offer hands-on practical learning to its students.

Classes will be taught by Beth Bigler, a versatile and creative writer, development executive, dramaturg, and teacher. She is a dynamic, engaging, and caring arts educator and is an instructor in the producing and screenwriting departments at New York Film Academy's Los Angeles and New York campuses. There, she teaches courses in dramatic writing, producing, and serves as a thesis reader for BFA and MFA students. She has taught elementary, middle, high school, and college students at a variety of institutions with diverse populations including the University of Illinois-Chicago, Interlochen Center for The Arts, Goddard College, and The Sakhumzi Children's Centre in Mfuleni, South Africa. As a sought-after dramaturg and script consultant, she collaborates with authors of all ages and developmental levels on their scripted and unscripted projects to help shape their works for stage and screen.

Classes are available to students of varying ages and skill levels, and are open to students from anywhere in the United States. Registration is now open on www.YoungPlaywrightsAcademy.com. Some scholarship opportunities are available.