From Quill to Curtain: Crafting Plays Inspired by History

January 11, 18 and February 1, 2025

10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Free

Accessible

Join us for a three-part community playwriting workshop series where writers of all levels are invited to explore the art of building a narrative centered on a historical figure or event. Topics will include conducting historical research and using primary sources, balancing creative license with historical accuracy, developing storylines and characters, and connecting the past with the present.

Each three-hour session will build on the last and culminate in an in-class sharing of an excerpt from each participant’s work. A commitment to all three sessions is strongly encouraged. Workshops will be held on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the following dates: January 11, January 18, and February 1, 2025.

This workshop series is free and open to the public, but a one-time registration is required.

Workshop facilitator

Denise J. Hart, is Professor of Playwriting and Dramaturgy at Howard University. She is the recipient of the 2024 Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts Full Professor award for Scholarly Research and Creative Endeavors. Hart is the recipient of several international playwriting honors and awards: This Joy, (former finalist in the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights competition and the Lark Fellowship,) Nothing to Lose (finalist 2018 Bay Area Playwrights). Production dramaturge credits include: Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jitney, Milk Like Sugar, Sweet Charity, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Day of Absence. As a scholar presentation coach, for six years, Hart coached internationally recognized scholars, artists and activists for appearances on the Lone Star Emmy nominated Blackademics TV, which airs on PBS.

This program was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation.