From Quill to Curtain: Adapting the Novel
December 7, 2024
Playwrights take inspiration from many sources including existing literary works as was Michael Wilson when he adapted A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, on stage at Ford’s Theatre from November 21, 2024 through December 31, 2024. With entire worlds and characters brought to life in our imaginations, how does the playwright transition the written text into spoken dialogue for a three-dimensional medium? In this 3-hour Master Class session, Playwright and Dramaturg Professor Denise Hart will take writers through techniques and prompts that transform chapters into acts and lift characters from the page to the stage. Prior playwriting experience is encouraged but not necessary. Participants are encouraged to select a novel to base their work on.
Instructor: Denise Hart
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.