Writing Programs
Have you ever had an idea or thought that you wanted to write about but you weren’t sure how to take the first step? Or perhaps you take a first step and the result was a blank page or a page with words that seem completely uninspired. Here is a chance to take that idea and turn it into a creative work that will feel deeply satisfying.
Award-winning writer Susan Charlotte will work with you one-on-one in a series of sessions which will enable you to put on paper what you have been thinking about for years. These sessions can be held in person or, if you are out-of-town, the sessions are conducted over the phone.
Ms. Charlotte, a professor at City College, Columbia University, NYU and The New School, has also founded her own school for writers. She received her MFA in playwriting from Columbia University. For more information see her bio here.
The Marcia Rothblum Scholarship
This Scholarship will fund a workshop for five writers from NYU and a presentation of their plays in the Food For Thought series. In the fall of 2012 four Graduate students from NYU were chosen to be in a professional workshop where their work was developed and then presented as part of the Food For Thought series.
In the spring I was hired to teach a Masters Class in playwriting at NYU (in the Rota and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing.) Six students came with ideas and, at the end of the workshop, left with one-act plays. Each of the plays was again presented at FFT. This coming fall, due to the generosity of Philip Rothblum and the foundation he started with his late wife, Marcia Rothblum, Cause Celebre has a chance to develop and present the work of five of the writers from NYU. All five writers will also have the opportunity to assist the director on two of our FFT readings. This program allows young writers to truly work on their craft and also move into the professional realm of theatre.
I had the privilege of knowing Marcia Rothblum, an artist and a true theatre lover. Her opinions were always interesting, her observations unique and her ability to articulate her thoughts clearly was unusual. After a comment she made about about a film or play that she saw, her ideas were always so thought-provoking that one often had reflect upon what she said. It is a great honor to receive a Scholarship named after such a special and gifted woman.
What highschool students have to say about FFTP
In our Fall 2013 season, one of our subscribers was generous enough to donate a number of tickets to the Cristo Rey New York High School. Students attended four different readings and this was their response:
“It was a wonderful experience and the people were very kind to us. They even asked for our thoughts on the play when it was over.”
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart because I truly have a passion for theatre arts and to see a reading of Tennessee Williams by a professional actor made me feel giddy.”
“I’d never seen a read aloud play before and was confused for the first half of it, but as I closed my eyes to focus, I could hear the beauty in it.”
“Without (this experience) we would not be exposed to the dramatic arts in a way where we could see classic pieces juxtaposed with newly created plays.”
“Thank you for the outstanding experience to see two well-defined plays. Although they seemed radically different on first glance, after watching them I noticed the complementary messages of the two plays and it was a sight to behold.”
“I never experienced a small play that would be read and I wasn’t sure I would like it, but the complete opposite happened. The play was funny and I enjoyed it very much.”
“I really enjoyed how the readers were not necessarily acting but were still speaking as a character. This experience has motivated me to audition for the spring play at my school.”
“As a drama student I found it very interesting to see the different techniques used in acting. I was able to learn from them while enjoying the play.”