University Open Air: Playwriting in a day
Have you ever wondered how an idea becomes a play? Would you like to try writing one? As long as you have an idea, you have a story to tell. In this workshop, we will read extracts from a few playwrights including Ngugi Wa’ Thiongo (The Trial of Dedan Kimathi), Wole Sonyinka (The Lion and the jewel) and some of my own works, (The Survival, The Channel Changer, The Kind Killer) to inspire your own ideas.
Once we have creative ideas in the air, we’ll work through how seasoned playwrights use language in storytelling; describe the world with their stories, and choose the right characters to tell a story, then work on our own ideas.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll create a story and outline it so it’s ready to become a one page play or a monologue. All you need is your imagination and the desire to write about issues you are curious about and believe should be seen and heard onstage.
Achiro P. Olwoch is a Ugandan writer, playwright and screenwriter currently living in exile in New York. She tells stories that start conversations, often writing about subjects that her part of the world calls forbidden. A former air hostess who hates flying, Achiro knows full well how to turn uncomfortable situations into a story.
The name Achiro is short for Achirochan which means ‘the resilient one’. This best describes Achiro who was born in exile and, when she returned home with her family, lived in exile in her country because of the ongoing civil war. She now finds herself in exile again. Regardless she keeps going and turns every trial and triumph into a story.
When she is not writing, Achiro is reading. Like her favorite authors, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiongo and her late father, she delights in writing history and present day politics in story.
Check out all of this semester's UOA programs here.
*In cases of rain, classes will be either moved to the Prospect Park Boathouse or canceled. Registered patrons will be notified by email on the morning of each course day and are also encouraged to check the UOA webpage and BPL Presents’ Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
University Open Air is generously supported by The Morris & Alma Schapiro Fund.
101 East Drive
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Have you ever wondered how an idea becomes a play? Would you like to try writing one? As long as you have an idea, you have a story to tell. In this workshop, we will read extracts from a few playwrights including Ngugi Wa’ Thiongo (The Trial of Dedan Kimathi), Wole Sonyinka (The Lion and the jewel) and some of my own works, (The Survival, The Channel Changer, The Kind Killer) to inspire your own ideas.
Once we have creative ideas in the air, we’ll work through how seasoned playwrights use language in storytelling; describe the world with their stories, and choose the right characters to tell a story, then work on our own ideas.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll create a story and outline it so it’s ready to become a one page play or a monologue. All you need is your imagination and the desire to write about issues you are curious about and believe should be seen and heard onstage.
Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library MM/DD/YYYY 60