Recently I’ve come to the decision that I want to start pursuing playwriting as my area of study but unfortunately most schools don’t offer it as an undergraduate major. Now, my situation is:
I’m currently a sophomore student at Salem State University in Massachusetts studying theatre performance (BFA). I decided that instead of pursuing acting/performing I would rather write. Salem has great opportunities for me but with this new life decision I feel I would succeed elsewhere and that transferring is my best option. I’m highly interested in Boston University however they only offer a BFA in performance or design for theatre majors. They do have English majors and theatre minors I believe.
So my question is:
What’s the best option major/minor wise for someone who is interested in becoming a playwright? I could hypothetically
A. Stay at Salem and double major with a BA in Theatre/English and minor in Dramatic Literature/Creative Writing
B. Transfer to BU and major in English
with a minor in Theatre. Or hope to gain entry into the BFA performance track and be a Theatre major.
What would the best option be for playwriting? BU has a great MFA program for playwriting but first I need my bachelors degree.
NYU Tisch has an undergraduate bfa dramatic writing major
If Salem is inexpensive and you’re nearly halfway finished, why not stay there and keep writing and think about an MFA eventually, if it turns out that you need one? You don’t need a degree in playwrighting to write plays. There are a ton of contests for shorter plays…why not write a 10-minute play and send it around and see what happens?
Gothem Writer’s Workshop could possibly fill in some blanks. They have online courses that are pretty good. Also if you’re in NYC in the summer, you could maybe take an on-site class.
https://www.writingclasses.com/classes/description/playwriting
You might look at the creative writing degree at Emerson and at the Contemporary Theater degree at Boston Conservatory, though they are both BFA programs, so I think transferring in might be a problem.
Also, Columbia College and DePaul in Chicago.
I agree with @Jkellynh17.
I also have a few other thoughts–
First, why BU? It’s certainly a terrific school, but there are also other programs that have a specific playwriting focus, eg Fordham, NYU, Northwestern off the top of my head (there are more). But if you’re attracted to BU because of its MFA program, I would not suggest transferring there for undergrad as a Junior; I don’t think their MFA program would impact you at all and I don’t think majoring in English at BU would be better that staying at Salem where you know exactly what it has to offer and you’ve already (presumably) made connections (and I’m assuming it’s cheaper).
Second, majoring in creative writing as an undergrad or going to general writers workshops unfortunately doesn’t prepare you for playwriting in most cases (I have my MFA in fiction and I never once studied or worked on a play). There are online courses you can take on playwriting but they’re a very mixed bag, and for now I’d suggest using the resources you already have at school.
I think you would be best staying at Salem and, knowing now what your interests are, write those plays. Seriously, the very best way you can become a stronger playwright is to read, read, watch, watch, write, write. Repeat. This you can do yourself. If you can find a professor at your school who would be willing to read the play and give you feedback, that would be great too. As a theatre performance major, you are likely to already know some professors who either write plays themselves, or who will be able to critique your plays. Talk to a professor or advisor and ask if it’s possible to have a play of yours produced and performed at Salem.
Submit the plays to any number of contests, and apply for playwriting internships over the summer (there are many across the country).
Check out Emory’s playwriting program, I have a friend there and she loves it. Also, NYU has a dramatic writing program, but you have to send in a portfolio. The theatre BFA at BU is performance based, so you’d have to audition with a selection of prepared monologues, so if you’ve decided that you’d rather write than perform, BU might not be the best choice. I think the best decision would be to either transfer into a playwriting program as a BA, or stay with your english major at your current college and go to a playwriting MFA program. Best of luck!
@wintersplendor - I was thinking of the playwrights horizons studio at NYU, which is an acting studio
Yes, playwrights horizon is an acting studio at NYU, although I think it’s the studio for acting BFAs who experiment with new material from up-and-coming playwrights. I believe you need to audition to get in, but even then, you may not be placed into playwrights horizon, as there are a selection of other studios that NYU places their students into. What I’m trying to say is (lol) that playwrights horizon is particularly for actors
@wintersplendor - my D attends NYU, and she has a close friend in playwrights. (Actually, she knows a number of people in the studio, but the one I refer to is a lifelong friend) playwrights is acting based, but also puts a lot of emphasis on writing as well. To me, it seems the perfect marriage for those interested in BOTH writing and performance. You do audition for all studios, but in the interview portion, this friend talked about writing and performing- and she and her auditors had a long conversation about that studio etc. I would think a person who was interested in playwrights could make it known
As the mom of a D who has been earning a living, without a break since graduation, as an actor and playwright, the advice given by @connections is spot on. She was a published playwright in high school and did a double major at NYU in drama (Atlantic studio) and English lit in CAS. An outlet for student produced work is something that every aspiring playwright should explore, regardless of what school they aspire to for college.
Brown University in Providence RI offers a BA in Theater and Performance studies with a concentration in “Writing for Performance.” There are about ten required courses for the Major/Concentration. As a transfer from a BFA program you may have already met some of those course requirements. The concentration is described as follows:
If nothing else, at Brown you would find an enthusiatic student audience, actors and mentors to help workshop and produce your plays. For what it’s worth, here is a Wiki description of the department:
Another suggestion might be to stay put and supplement your education in the summer. NTI has a good summer program for playwrights. http://www.nationaltheaterinstitute.org/programs/theatermakers
Best of luck in whatever you decide!
Dear Salem Mass. college student, it sounds like your panicking so don’t. Take a deep breath and slow down. I would finish up your program there and it’s true you do not have to go running anxiously looking for a playwright program and your young, I majored in English Literature and took many theatre classes as that is what I love. I gained a B.A. in English Literature and then the following fall I entered a 2 year college for theatre. I love my English literature degree. You can take classes that would be a great foundation for writing. It’s good to get a grasp of English, close scholarly reading and writing scholarly critiques and analytical thinking and analyzing stories and that includes Shakespeare, Dramatic literature, creative writing. Your theatre degree will go very well hand in hand with your English literature degree or minor. You should finish your Salem degree in your current program if you have a passion for it. If you do not have a really great passion for what you are studying now then stay there and change to an English literature major and take theatre as a minor. Good luck!