News from the East West writing program

Two New Workshops for Winter/Spring 2001 Session of the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute
EWP has added a master class called NEXT DRAFT: A Rewriting Workshop. Do you have a play that's been sitting in a drawer, or on your hard drive, almost forgotten? Do you have a play that you've submitted to a number of places, and some people really liked it, but it just never got anywhere? A play that might be missing something, or maybe the ending isn't quite right, or maybe there's a shift in tone that never quite worked. Or maybe you think it's perfect, but for some reason, no one else liked it quite as much as you did. Pull it out. Take a look at it. Do you want to take it to the next level? Are you ready for THE NEXT DRAFT?

As longtime workshop leader Paula Cizmar says, "Writing is rewriting," and to many writers, this is where the real work begins. You've finished something...but is it really done?

Award-winning playwrights Alice Tuan (IKEBANA, LAST OF THE SUNS) and Doris Baizley (MIMI'S GUIDE) will lead the Next Draft Workshop. Theatre professionals like EWP Artistic Director Tim Dang, Literary Manager Ken Narasaki, and the Taper's ATP Director and NWAAT Artistic Director Chay Yew will be among the guest speakers to give pointers on what their organizations are looking for, and how writers may best present their submissions.

The Next Draft Workshop begins Monday January 22 (from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and runs into May). Readings will be in June. Application procedures: Interested writers should complete the David Henry Hwang Writer application. Instead of a one- or two-page writing sample, applicants will be asked to submit a completed draft of the play they intend to workshop. Applications will be due January 10, 2001.

EWP is also offering SCREENPLAY with Kris Young.
Students will learn to develop ideas for the screen and work on their own screenplays. Kris got his MFA in screenwriting from UCLA and his many credits include: twelve features for the Disney Channel, Teen Angel, Teen Angel Returns, as well as Woo's World (for Nickelodeon), Charlie Apana (for Terrence Chang and John Woo), Kung Fu Fightin' (For Trimark), and Slow Boat to China (for Savi Media). Mr. Young's is a working screenwriter who has managed to avoid a "day job" for twenty years."This will be a workshop with an emphasis on writing," Mr. Young says. "My belief is that screenwriting is hard work and the only way to really learn how to do it is to do it. You can learn all the rules and all the academic stuff from books, so I won't be doing a lot of lecturing. My job is to facilitate, to crack the whip and make you write." The ScreenPlay Workshop begins Tuesday, January 16, 2001 (from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and will run through March. For more information, contact Kris Young at ktyoung1@hotmail.com. Applications due January 10.

Meanwhile
long-time Workshop veteran Judy Soo Hoo (TEXAS, REFRIGERATORS, TWICE TOLD CHRISTMAS TALES, 29 1/2 DREAMS) has joined our vaunted stable of Workshop leaders. She says, "A play is a dynamic entity, constantly in motion, in the process of becoming." Through a series of writing exercises and feedback from other writers, writers will work on one-acts, full-length plays; topics to be discussed include: Narrative Authority, Pressure, Urgency, Texuality, and the Torque of a Play. Judy has been produced twice at EWP (29 1/2 DREAMS, TWICE TOLD CHRISTMAS TALES), as well as Lodestone SHP (BEASTLY BEAUTIES); she was a winner in our 1996 New Voices Playwriting Competiton (REFRIGERATORS), and a 1999 winner of the Yukon Pacific New Play Awardt, and is a 2000 PEN West Emerging Voices Fellow. Her work will be published in Best Male Stage Monologues; Best Stage Scenes by Smith and Kraus Publishers; and in BOLD WORDS: A Century of Asian American Writing. She is a gifted writer with a unique voice...and she'll help you to find and hone your voice. Writers must write. Looking for a way to force yourself to write that play that's been knocking around in your head? This is the workshop for you! This Writers Institute Workshop begins Saturday, January 27, and goes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Readings will be in June. For more information about any of these programs, please contact Ken Narasaki at 213.625.7000, x27, or email: ominarasak@aol.com

EWP Announces Scholarship Recipients for the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute
Congratulations to Jade Chang, the first recipient of EWP's ABC Scholarship! Also, congratulations to Gary Kuwahara, the recipient of the Garrett H. Omata Memorial Scholarship, and to Keshni Kashyap and Cynthia Fujikawa, the joint recipients of the New Voices Scholarship. Thank you to ABC, Carole and Harvey Omata, and The James Irvine Foundation for making these opportunities possible!

The David Henry Hwang Writers Institute
Winter/Spring Session begins January 2001!
Application procedure: Your application should include:

1.) A page with your name, address, mailing address, phone number, and fax or
email;
2.) A 1-2 page writing sample (any form);
3.) Payment (check payable to East West Players, VISA or MasterCard) of $350.00 for 20-week session, or $400.00 for the ScreenPlay workshop. All payments are due before the first week of class. NO REFUNDS will be made after the first week of class. (Scholarship-eligible applications due December 10, 2000 - all others due January 10, 2001)

Please send all materials to:
Ken Narasaki, Literary Manager
East West Players
David Henry Hwang Writers Institute
244 S. San Pedro Street, Ste. 301
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The David Henry Hwang Writers Institute has been made possible through the
generosity of The James Irvine Foundation.