Carson Kreitzer is a playwright, lyricist, and librettist. Her musical LEMPICKA, co-written with Matt Gould and directed by Rachel Chavkin, ran at the Longacre Theater on Broadway in 2024. The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Lempicka is available on CD, and on all streaming platforms. Carson’s lifelong mission to center the stories of “troublesome women” feels particularly important in this moment, as the stories of women and minorities are being intentionally removed from federal websites. In addition, for the past decade her work has been increasingly involved with the climate crisis, including her plays green and TIMEBOMB, as well as works-in-process Svalbard and The Trash Project, inspired by her time sailing with a group of artists in the Arctic Circle and Greenland. Her plays include The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Rosenthal New Play Prize, Stavis Award), The Slow Drag (New York and London), and Lasso of Truth (NNPN Rolling World Premiere). She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, an alumna of New Dramatists, an Affiliated Writer with The Playwrights’ Center, and was the first Playwrights of New York (PoNY) Fellow at the Lark. A Guggenheim and MacDowell fellow, she has also received support from the NEA, TCG, the Jerome and McKnight Foundations, and the Jonathan Larson Award. Her collection SELF DEFENSE and other plays is available from No Passport Press.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY, OUR ACCREDITING INSTITUTION:
|
University courses require an application process. The application fee for the class shows us your interest and after you submit this fee, we will reach out with a short and simple application process. Payment will be due after your application has been accepted. $1200 (no credit) \ $1960 (4 hrs undergrad credit) \ $2285 (3 hrs graduate credit) All applications are due by MAY 30 |
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
How does a musical come together? What is the Alchemy? Words and music, dialogue and song… how do we build something compelling, wrenching, hilarious, unforgettable? And how do we get it out into the world? Experience some favorite examples of the genre, and find new things to love, while gaining practical knowledge with playwright-turned lyricist-and-librettist Carson Kreitzer (LEMPICKA, Williamstown Theater Festival, 2018, La Jolla Playhouse, 2022, Broadway, 2024)
In this class we will examine both classic and contemporary musicals, looking at decisions about subject and structure, including how to determine what is a scene, vs. what is a song. We will look at a wide variety of shows, from sung-through works, to what might be called a “play with music”, large-cast and chamber musicals, and continuously drill down into particular songs and moments to try to find what makes them emotionally resonant, or shocking, or transformative.
We will also talk about practical things, including workshop opportunities and how to find your place within the dreaded “marketplace”. We’ll discuss various aspects of collaboration, within the writing team, and with the larger production team: directors, choreographers, designers, producers.
The class will be seminar-style, and highly interactive. Come prepared for lively dialogue. Each student will be asked to bring a favorite musical and present on it to the class.
Class Dates:
Wednesdays, June 3 to August 26 (July 22 no Zoom meeting)
*NOTE: Time will be determined amongst enrolled students and the instructor after enrollment has closed.
Cost:
- $2285 graduate credit (3 cr.), includes transcript from Augsburg University
- $1960 undergraduate credit (4 cr.), includes transcript from Augsburg University
- $1200 (Non-credit)
Carson Kreitzer
