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Raising the Stakes: Fictionalizing Your Stories for the Stage with Amalia Ortiz
August 6 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm CDT
Tuesdays, August 6, 13, 20 & 27, 6:30-8:30pm CST, Hybrid (in-person at Gemini Ink and online via Zoom)
Instructor: Amalia Ortiz
Nonmember: $145; Member: $125; Student/Educator/Mil $75
*EARN CPE’S
Every day all around us we encounter interesting characters, compelling scenarios, and memorable conversations. Whether it’s in line at the grocery store, on the city bus, or walking down the street, the real world is full of potential stories–you just need to stop and listen.
In this four-week class, we will observe the world around us and collect snippets of real-world dialogue. Students will review dramatic structure and use collected material to develop characters in fictionalized, high-stakes situations through monologues and scenes. The class will culminate in a dramatic reading of works-in-progress. We will follow the reading with an introduction to Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process, an affirming and interactive feedback strategy that will help a writer grow in their craft.
This class is open to writers of all skill levels 18+.
By the end of the class students will have:
- Two monologues and one scene drafted
- An understanding of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process
- Critical feedback to take your written work to the next level
Read Amalia’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!
Amalia Ortiz appeared on three seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. She was awarded the 2020 American Book Award for Oral Literature from the Before Columbus Foundation for The Canción Cannibal Cabaret (Aztlan Libre Press, 2019). NBC Latino listed her book, Rant. Chant. Chisme. among “10 Great Latino Books of 2015.” She won an Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Grant, a residency at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the 2015 Writers’ League of Texas Poetry Discovery Prize, and the 2018 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant to film videos for her latest book, The Canción Cannibal Cabaret. Amalia received a BA in Theatre from UIW and an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is the Director of Theatre at SAY Sí, a year-round afterschool arts program where she facilitates the creation of original theatre productions written by middle and high school students.
