The undergraduate program in dramatic writing, which leads to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, is divided into four parts: writing/text analysis, production/performance, general education and electives. Acceptance into the Department enrolls all students in the Division of Playwriting and the Division of Film and TV Writing. Students study in both divisions, concentrating in at least one medium as their studies advance. Students may enter the program either as freshmen or as transfer students. The curriculum as a whole enables them to analyze the dramatic text as it has developed since the time of the ancient Greeks, learn the rudiments of production techniques, explore the world of performance and develop and refine their writing ability through a series of intensive workshops.
Yale School of Drama’s playwriting program believes that every voice is unique: by intense submersion into a spectrum of aesthetics, literature and theory, the writer’s singular voice is strengthened. Throughout the year, playwrights take part in Boot Camp, Workshop, How Things Work, and at least one play in production.
The B.F.A. in Playwriting is designed as an intensive introduction to the art of dramatic writing for the stage. Study in this major focuses on dramatic structure, its relationship to literature, and how the spoken word functions on the stage and in performance. Students accepted into this program must complete a wide range of courses in addition to the core series of playwriting courses. The additional required courses include acting, theatrical design, literature, and courses in other disciplines, specifically English.
Dramatic writing is a highly selective, four-year B.F.A. program, offered by the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film. Approximately 20 talented freshmen are admitted to the program each year. These students work with award-winning screenwriters and playwrights to develop finely tuned skills in writing for the stage, film, television, and emerging media. The program is designed to train a new generation of versatile writers to take their place in the professional world.
The Theatre School’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Playwriting focuses on helping students explore and identify their voice and unique process of working as a writer in a variety of circumstances. The four-year curriculum provides students with the primary tools of dramatic writing and the space and opportunity to use them through a variety of classroom and workshop production experiences.