Play Development Collective What Our Students Say

I found my mentor  to be just lovely.  Helpful, supportive, thoughtful.  She asked great questions, and made tactful suggestions without ever being prescriptive.  As I mentioned to her, I usually don’t let people in this early in the process, but I felt she really followed through with integrity on the main theme the 4 mentors had articulated the first day:  “We’re here to help.”
                                    - Matt Hoverman, playwright

I had a wonderful time and it was exactly what I needed for this particular project.  it would have sat in my 'idea' folder forever without you guys! - Jason Odell Williams, playwright

I thought it was absolutely phenomenal to work with someone who obviously really knows what they’re doing and work with them one on one with a script. 
   - Aaron Levy, playwright

My mentor clearly invested time in reading the script, a full-length play.  Her feedback – specific, detailed, and substantial – was extremely helpful as I set about rewriting the play.   Importantly, the notes were geared to what I had written and never had the tone of “I want to rewrite your play.”  Also, I loved the way my mentor encouraged me to write quickly (rewriting each scene from memory) and to really shake up the play (I needed to hear that!), and as a result I got more accomplished than I would have envisioned.  In addition, as a writer, I sensed that she respected where I was in the process of working on this play -- an older play that needed to be revamped and something that I was trying hard to reconnect to.  
                                           - C.S. Hanson, playwright
Playwriting Workshop Summer 08

I’d like to come back!
- Kimberly Pau, playwright

My mentor asked so many in-depth questions pertaining to the story, the characters, how they all fit together without ever being judgmental or forcing her own opinions onto the story. She really just absorbed what she got from my words and said what she didn’t get, what she got, what wasn’t really fleshed, what she would like to know more about—she really helped me connect the dots. I know my script is so much stronger after this experience and I feel confident in where it’s going and my mentor’s guidance helped me achieve that.                   -Karly Maurer, playwright

The Play Development Collective was one of the best and most useful experiences in my career as a writer. They are amazing coaches and they demonstrated an amazing commitment and respect for the craft of playwriting and cultivating new work. Groups like this are rare and it was amazing to be a part of it. Hearing your work read aloud and getting positive, constructive feedback are invaluable to a writer’s process. The one-on-one sessions are also unbelievably helpful and less intimidating than a group experience in that you are only hearing feedback from one person at a time, so you get both a group and something more personal. The best of both worlds. Because of this class, I am more than half done with a play I have been struggling with for months. I cannot express how amazing it has been to bring this play to life with such an amazing group of artists.
-Kari Bentley-Quinn, playwright

This workshop is an excellent experience for someone who is nearing a final draft of a play but wants to guarantee that there are no unintended mysteries or inconsistencies interfering with the flow and impact of the piece.  Hearing perceptive observations and questions during one-on-one interaction with a talented and experienced mentor, a playwright is sure to gain insight into his work (and his intentions) with the final result being the creation of a stronger, cleaner, more effective piece of theater.
-Bill Morton, playwright

The feedback and suggestions were invaluable.
Melissa Glassman, playwright