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Chelsea Rep Lab
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Chelsea Rep Lab Production of Stamp
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Chelsea Rep Lab is an on-going workshop environment intended to encourage experimentation and to provide the opportunity to explore areas outside the range of the usual scene study or class work.
Past Lab Work has included developmental writing exercises, group improvisation, and movement and vocal work. Chelsea Rep Lab has produced many student-directed plays as well as new productions and staged readings of original plays and film scripts.
A recent addition to Chelsea Rep LAB is the playwriting program. We offer two classes: Beginning Playwriting, and Advanced Playwriting. These classes strive to help each student find their individual voice as a writer in a supportive environment.
Beginning Playwriting emphasizes individual elements of playwriting (character, setting, images, etc.) through in-class exercises. By the end of the course, each student has completed at least one ten-minute play. Advanced Playwriting allows students who have completed Beginning Playwriting (or the equivalent) to concentrate on writing a full-length play, or a long one-act.
Read more about how the beginning playwriting class can help you become a better actor.
Greg Cohan, a member of Chelsea Rep LAB and a graduate of The Acting Studio, Inc., recently talked about how the playwriting classes have helped him as an actor. He said, "We read our plays or scenes in class, and it is very similar to how an actor might approach a scene that they're given in a class or an audition. We
break down beats and find the rhythm of writing, we discuss the choices we made, why we made them, and how we can make them much more specific. We talk about how to make a scene build, how to make it arc, and how to keep it moving forward. These are things one might hear in an acting class from a director or an instructor, but approaching the material from the playwright's perspective definitely helped to crystallize it for me as an actor. This type of critical analysis is something that helps me immensely in approaching new scenes and even audition sides. It helps me to break down material more effectively and make acting choices that are clear and interesting."
Both classes emphasis reading work aloud in class and script analysis. Each student is expected to spend approximately five hours outside of classes writing or rewriting. Assigned plays are given as weblinks or .pdf files. The beginning class reads mostly contemporary, short plays; the advanced class reads full-length plays. Each class culminates in a rehearsed reading of the students' work, allowing them to work in a rehearsal situation with actors and a director.
All classes are taught by award-winning playwright Anne Phelan. Anne Phelan is a Dramatist Guild member and a two-time Edward F. Albee Foundation fellow. Her plays are published by Smith & Kraus and Heinemann, and she is a graduate of Hampshire College and the Trinity Rep Conservatory. Her theatrical experience spans 20 years, and her plays have been produced in New York City, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Florida. Anne's first playwright experience in New York City was a staged reading directed by John Grabowski at The Acting Studio.
Read more about how the playwriting program can help you develop as a writer.
Claudia Anel, Studio graduate and LAB member says, "The LAB's playwriting class is a phenomenal opportunity for anyone interested in developing a playwriting technique. Anne is extremely knowledgeable; not only in terms of the actual writing, but also in terms of the history and significance of all the works we studied in the class. What resonated with me the most however, as a beginner, was the opportunity to start projects almost every week. Through different in-class writing exercises and take home assignments, I was able to come up with several ideas that I later developed into one-act plays. The reading assignments and in-class critiques created a foundation for analytical thinking that helped me as I worked on re-writes. Finally, I feel students of this class will benefit greatly from the tone set by Anne and the LAB which is one of hard work, mutual support and commitment."
The Zoo Story
by Edward Albee
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The Shadow of the Glen
by J.M. Synge
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Trifles
by Susan Glaspell
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Why Hannah's Skirt Won't Stay Down
by Tom Eyen
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Talk to Me Like The Rain
by Tennessee Williams
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The American Century
by Murphy Guyer
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Money/Mercy
by Stephen Temperley
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Dumb Supper
by Deborah Pryor
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Beyond Therapy
by Christopher Durang
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The Nature and Purpose of the Universe
by Christopher Durang
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New Plays
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Stamp
by Bobby Bowman
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The Television Anesthesia
by Tim Ness
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Black Hole
by Greg Fensterman
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