Playwriting Class Description
Beyond Realism: Pushing the Boundaries of the Imagination. Nineteenth century writer
Charles Baudelaire once condemned realism as a “war on the imagination.” While that idea can
seem amusingly hyperbolic today, it can also serve as a healthy challenge to writers interested in stretching their creativity, breaking the rules, and taking risks. In this lecture/workshop, we will
study contemporary examples of plays that push the boundaries of the theatrical form. With film
and television hewing so closely to the rigid parameters of realism, theatre remains a place where writers are able to experiment with wild abandon, while still telling stories that are grounded in recognizable human struggles and emotions. Since the skills learned here will be of benefit in other writing forms as well, this program is open to writers working in all genres.
WHERE: In-Person at Perseverance Theatre, 914 3rd St. Douglas AK
WHEN: Monday, February 21st @ 6:30PM
COST: Pay What You Can – Suggested Donation of $20
Instructor Bio
Prince Gomolvilas is a Thai-American writer and winner of a PEN Center USA Literary Award
for Drama. His critically acclaimed play, The Brothers Paranormal, debuted Off-Broadway at
the Beckett Theatre, in a production by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. It has since been published
by Dramatic Publishing, performed across the country, and scheduled for productions in Juneau,
Anchorage, and Los Angeles. He is the co-creator of a new TV series currently in development
at Amazon Studios, and he is a former Assistant Professor of Writing at the University of
Southern California. More info can be found at https://www.princegomolvilas.com/.