Dramatists Guild of America’s 2015 National Conference

 

 

The Dramatists Guild of America presents the 2015 National Conference: Writing the Changing World in La Jolla, California livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 16 July to Saturday 18 July. 

In Twitter use hashtag #writechange. Follow @dramatistsguild and @howlroundtv.

The following events will livestream:

Friday 17 July at 3 p.m.-3:45 p.m. PDT / 6 p.m.-6:45 p.m. EDT
Mock Negotiations (Panelists: Dave Faux, Deborah Murad, Ralph Sevush)

The Guild’s legal staff will guide writers through a rollicking role-playing exercise in mock negotiations to demonstrate the various styles used in contract negotiations and the substantive issues involved with typical playwright agreements, including collaboration agreements and production contracts. Hijinks will ensue. Questions are encouraged.

 

 

 

Friday 17 July at 4 p.m.-4:45 p.m. PDT / 7 p.m.-7:45 p.m. EDT
The Playwright-Performer (Host: Josh Hartwell with Panelists Laurie Flanigan-Hegge, Lisa Kron, and Charlayne Woodard)

A fun and informative discussion with dramatists that have often bifurcated their energy between writing for the theatre and performing in the theatre. We know that a number of our members here in the Guild perform, or WANT to perform their own work. Or, they’re both playwright and actor and find it difficult to maintain the balance of nurturing both of those passions. This panel will address the practical advice and wisdom one should consider when embarking on such a wonderfully complicated path of expression.

 

 

Friday 17 July at 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m. PDT / 8 p.m.-8:45 p.m. EDT
Agents, Publishing, and Production (Panelists: Gary Garrison, Peter Hagan, Bruce Lazarus)

The President of Dramatists Play Service, Inc., Peter Hagan, the Executive Director of Samuel French, Inc., Bruce Lazarus, and Gary Garrison, the Guild’s Executive Director of Creative Affairs, will chat about the three areas of concern for most dramatists at any level of their careers: agents, publishing, and production. Bring your own questions to the discussion as a Q/A will be provided in the last fifteen minutes of the session.

 

 

Saturday 18 July at 2 p.m.-2:45 PDT / 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m. EDT
Creating Character Through Story and Song (Moderator: Georgia Stitt, with Panelists Amanda Green, Winnie Holzman, Peter Parnell, and Stephen Schwartz)

What makes us feel empathy for a character on the stage? Is the layering necessary for all complex characters better suited for story, or in the lyrics of a song? In the creation of all art, are there “formulas?” The creators of Hands on a Hardbody (green), Wicked (Holzman and Schwartz), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Parnell and Schwartz) will help answer these questions while sharing their views on creating character.

 

 

Saturday 18 July at 3 p.m.-3:45 p.m. PDT / 6 p.m.-6:45 p.m. EDT
Comedy Across Mediums (Moderator: Michael McKeever, with Panelists Mark Krause, Lisa Kron, Deb Lacusta, and David Rambo)

With this panel of playwrights, musical theatre writers, actors, and a cartoonist, we will explore how comedy is articulated through a variety of creative expressions. Is what’s funny in one medium funny in another? What are the various shades of comedy? What are the obstacles any writer faces when writing comic material? Is comedy used differently from one medium to the next? Is funny—funny, no matter the medium?

 

Saturday 18 July at 4 p.m.-4:45 p.m. PDT / 7 p.m.-7:45 p.m. EDT
BMI Presents One-on-One with the Lopezes (Host: Pat Cook with guests Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez)

Join Pat Cook, Director of BMI, as he chats with two of the most vibrant, vital dramatists in the American theatre today, Bobby Lopez  (Avenue Q,The Book of Mormon) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen, Finding Nemo, Winnie the Pooh). They’ll discuss their new project at La Jolla Playhouse, Up Here, their new Disney project, Frozen, and what they believe makes for a successful writing team with music and story.

 

 

Saturday 18 July at 6 p.m.-6:45 p.m. PDT / 9 p.m.-9:45 p.m. EDT
Women Writing Women (Host: Kate Snodgrass with Panelists Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Carol Hall, Winnie Holzman, Julia Jordan, Lisa Kron, and Georgia Stitt)

Is there any difference between men and women in terms of writing style and its impact on new play development? How are artists treated, mentored, nurtured? What stories get told and how? Are there different methods of audience engagement? What are the challenges facing women in the theatre? What are the issues, discoveries, and challenges we should be talking about next?

 

 

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.