As you can tell by the title I would like to be a playwright (which I have been told is a “dying” career, but don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t follow your dreams!!) and it has been a passion of mine for a while.
However since the profession is so narrow there aren’t many schools so I was wondering if anyone had a good list of schools that either offer playwriting as a major or minor. Screenwriting is accepted, however I would prefer playwriting.
Thank you!
You may want to post this on the theatre majors and the musical theatre majors groups on CC.
USC and NYU hands down. Done, no questions asked. Those are by far the best.
Creative writing, which encompasses playwriting, could be an option for you. Successful playwrights have graduated from some of these colleges (articles available online):
"The 10 Best American Colleges for Writers " / USA Today
"The 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writers " / The Freelancer
“The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America” / Flavowire
Many of these colleges would give you the opportunity to see your work performed prior to graduation.
The University of Iowa has an outstanding Creative Writing program.
Wesleyan
Yale has an excellent creative writing program. Is that the school you’re looking for? Maybe supply your stats/profile to narrow things down.
Purchase College offers something really specific: The Playwriting and Screenwriting BA Program.
Brown also has an amazing program but really what you should look for is a vibrant boisterous theater scene. You want to be able to collaborate and see your work performed a lot. So don’t just look at professors and classes offered but also talk to students and see what they are working on and how the work together.
Schools in Chicago?
DePaul Theatre School has a Playwriting major,which I presume is as strong as the rest of the conservatory. BFA programs can be as selective as Ivy League colleges, if they require portfolio reviews. You can concentrate on Playwriting within Emerson’s Theater Studies major. I’ve heard that Goucher has a good program. Columbia College Chicago is an excellent safety for anyone interested in Arts or Media. It has open, rolling admissions. University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, does not have a straight Playwriting major, but it has what’s called “DPP”: Directing, Playwriting, and Production, and they work a lot with the students in the Acting BFA program. They also have a Creative Writing major.
Check Fordham Lincoln Center (although I"m not sure they have a playwriting major)