Hone your creative writing talents to produce dramatic works, learning what it takes to be a professional writer for the stage or screen.
Learn the fundamentals of dramatic structure, develop plays and screenplays in writing workshops, and present your playwriting work in the department’s Rita and Burton Goldberg Theatre.
Program Overview
The Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing offers a highly focused academic and professional writing program for students who have the talent and the will to write for theatre, film, and television.
The combination of screenwriting and playwriting will give you an exciting introduction to the world of dramatized storytelling. The lectures in this program will help you explore the nature and principles of dramatic action, the relationship between character and circumstance, and how dramatic structure arises from these foundations.
In the workshop sessions, you’ll present work, which is then reviewed, critiqued, and rewritten. In screenwriting, this process results in an outline and the partial scripting of a full-length screenplay; in playwriting, it culminates in a ten-minute play where you’ll work together as a repertory company to rehearse, critique, and rewrite your plays. On the last day of classes you will have the opportunity to perform them.
In addition to the performance of the ten-minute plays, your monologues are directed and acted by professional actors and directors who work with the department on a regular basis. Readings of classic plays and screenplays along with screenings of movies and tapes of important theatrical productions complement the course work.
Note: The Tisch Summer High School Program is not a leisure camp. While the average program runs daily, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm, including academic classes, professional training, and/or studio and production time, students will often be just as busy in the evenings and weekends which also include curricular events and opportunities to work individually or collaborate with peers on assigned projects
The classes I took were so thought compelling and encouraged me even more to continue my passion for writing. My peers and I grew to find an inseparable bond and learned to work together and learn from one another The culture we saw and experienced inspired me entirely and I will never forget the incredible summer experience I embarked on.”
— Jessica Jacobs
The lectures given in this program explore the nature and principles of dramatic action, the relationship between character and circumstance, and how dramatic structure arises from these foundations. In the workshop sessions, students present their work, which is then reviewed, critiqued, and rewritten. In screenwriting, this process results in an outline and the partial scripting of a full-length screenplay. Readings of screenplays and screenings of movies complement the course work. Students will also have guest lecturers in TV writing and several film story analysis sessions.
The lectures given in this program explore the nature and principles of dramatic action, the relationship between character and circumstance, and how dramatic structure arises from these foundations. In the workshop sessions, students present their work, which is then reviewed, critiqued, and rewritten. In playwriting, it culminates in a 10-minute play. Students work together as a repertory company to rehearse, critique, and rewrite their plays, and on the last day of classes, they perform their plays. In addition to the performance of the 10-minute plays, student monologues are directed and acted by professional actors and directors who work with the department on a regular basis. Readings of classic plays and tapes of important theatrical productions complement the course work.
Classes take place Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Each weekend includes time for assignments and writing. There will also be time for rehearsals in advance of the final showcase, which will take place on the last Friday.
This sample schedule is based on previous summers to give prospective students an understanding of the highly structured and rigorous training offered in the Tisch Summer High School Dramatic Writing Program. This sample schedule is an overview of one of the four weeks in the program. Students accepted and confirmed for the program will be given their actual schedule on orientation day.
Program Fee (activities facilitated by Residential Life & Housing): $200
Housing for 4 weeks: $1,704
10 meals** a week for 4 weeks: $768
*Estimated, based on summer 2024 rates
**As this is a residential program, students are automatically enrolled in the 10 meals a week plan for the length of the program. Students have the option of increasing their meal plan if they wish.
Students accepted to the Tisch Summer High School program live in NYU housing. Per NYU policy, students must to be at least 15 to reside in housing for this program.
Scholarships
Tisch has a limited number of scholarships for high school students to attend the Tisch summer programs. Scholarships are given to students who demonstrate the most financial need.
