Beginning Playwriting

Beginning Playwriting: Eight Week Playwriting Workshop

This class is full. Please join us for our winter session!

Schedule 

Monday Evenings from 7pm-9pm

September 15, 2025 - November 10, 2025: No Class October 13

At The Back Office Studio (13 N Washington St, Ypsilanti)

Cost: $180

About the Class

This eight week beginning playwriting class is designed for writers (ages 18 and up) with varying levels of experience who wish to learn the craft and technique of playwriting and compose well-structured drama.

The class will create a warm, collaborative, and supportive environment in the interest of removing the stigma of failure and criticism.

Over the course of the eight weeks, students will be assigned readings of established published dramatic work, as well as study the various theories and techniques surrounding the art, craft and philosophy of playwriting. Special attention will be paid to the “well-made” structure and the following topics:

• Storytelling and Inspiration
• Character Development
• Structure and Arc
• Style and Form
• Discipline and Habit
• Submission and Production Strategies

The final class session will be a reading of the student's original scripts for a Friends and Family Showcase. Scripts will be performed by members of the NTG Ensemble.

About the Instructor

Aaron Dean, pen name A.M. Dean is a writer, actor, and musician. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from Michigan State University. He was voted “Best Writer” in 2022 and the runner-up in 2018 and 2021 in Current Magazine’s Best of Washtenaw. His first musical, Beaver’s Long Strange Trip was performed in June 2015 at The Back Office Studio in downtown Ypsilanti. He’s had numerous plays produced in Michigan and Chicago including Thoughts and Prayers (Ypsilanti), Cryptic (Ypsilanti), Carl, Baby (Ypsilanti), The Former Things (Ypsilanti and Chicago), Escape from the Haltzburg Boy’s Choir and 15 Minutes (Chicago) and his second full length musical, Dispatches from the Dumb Decade (Ypsilanti). In Chicago, he was a company member with Brain Surgeon Theatre and Literary Manager for The Ruckus Theatre Company from 2009-2012. Originally from Whitehall, Michigan, A.M. Dean is a proud resident of Ypsilanti and the Literary Manager and co-founder of Neighborhood Theatre Group.

About Neighborhood Theatre Group

Neighborhood Theatre Group (NTG) has been making “theatre from scratch” in Ypsilanti since 2015. NTG is dedicated to cultivating a welcoming and collaborative environment for theatre artists. Offering original plays, musicals, cabarets, and self-produced videos, Neighborhood Theatre Group believes in theatre’s ability to bring individuals together and create a sense of place.

Cancellation Policy

September 8, 2025: Deadline for full refund

No refunds will be given after September 8, 2025. 

Discounts will not be given for missed class sessions.