@dramatistsguild @GabCody 

“It was a blast and I learned a lot.” – John Keating, Dramatists Guild member

“Thanks for throwing such a fantastic evening on Thursday with the amazing Stephen Schwartz! And thanks for inviting MTAP to be a part of it. I think it was highly instructive and fantastic for the community.” – Steve Cuden, Dramatists Guild member

“A workshop with Stephen Schwartz was just what the doctor ordered. He was generous and funny and insightful and inspiring: so much gold to mine for every single one of us in the packed house.” – Tammy Ryan, Dramatists Guild member

It’s no surprise that legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz won the 2015 Tony’s Isabelle Stevenson Award for his commitment to serving artists and fostering new talent. Always hard at work on his own projects, he nevertheless makes time to share his experience and expertise with composers from around the country.

We were lucky enough to host an evening workshop with Stephen Schwartz on March 17, here in Pittsburgh. City Theatre of Pittsburgh generously donated their large rehearsal space and Reginald Douglas, Clare Drobot and James McNeel of City Theatre were on hand to help us out. 

Stephanie Riso of the Musical Theater Artists of Pittsburgh partnered with the Dramatists Guild to find composers. Mr. Schwartz listened and gave feedback to three (3) lyricist/composer teams and then shared highlights of his own work and much wisdom about the process of being a musical theater artist. 

That evening we were also joined by the Alumni Theatre Company, “The mission of the Alumni Theater Company is to create bold theatrical work that gives fresh voice to the experience of young urban artists and highlights their rich contribution to our community” and a group of musical theater high school students who were in the midst of staging Godspell. It was truly a community affair.

On the heels of this event, the Dramatists Guild and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council partnered to bring the community together in conversation with Francesca Piantadosi, Portland Regional Rep, Faye Sholiton, Ohio Regional Rep emeritus and Kim El, local playwright and Dramatists Guild member. The evening was part of the “Writing Wrongs” initiative, created by Ms. Sholiton.

All three of these women dedicate themselves to bringing playwriting into their community and giving voice to the voiceless through teaching. Ms. Piantadosi’s stories about her long history of working with inmates in Oregon gave Pittsburgh playwrights, composers, directors and producers a taste of how they might participate and share their talents. Ms. Piantadosi will return to Pittsburgh later this year to offer a full workshop in teaching writing to the beginner “The Blank Page.” In addition to the artists present, a teacher from the Allegheny County jail high school program provided insight into the plight of incarcerated teenagers and welcomed the support and input of the theater makers in the room. 

Kim El, award-winning playwright, director and teacher shared her work with Life Stages in Pages. The program, which is funded partly by a grant from the Sprout Fund’s Hive program, is a creative writing program for girls under the age of 21. The girls write poems, plays, songs, blogs and journals. For eight weeks, the workshop meets every Saturday between 10am–12pm. El kicks off the class with a variety of short warm-up writing exercises—responding to an image, or a symphony; writing a list poem. Then, the girls read their responses, and the conversation drifts over whatever ideas or topics arise with the exercises. Later, they have a longer journal-writing period and a visit from a local writer, poet, playwright or songwriter.

Both of these events proved that playwriting is a process of giving and taking. Here in Pittsburgh we strive to strike a balance, it’s been a great spring of giving back.

Stephen Schwartz

gcody@dramatistsguild.com