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M.A. in Theatre and New Play Development

M.A.

single-paper-background Rehearsing for play - Theatre New Play Development MA

Summer 2024: June 17 – July 26

New Play Development is the deliberate process of moving from being the caretaker of an inspiration to being the caretaker of an audience’s experience. That process requires empathy, generosity, and training with collaboration at the center, rather than competition. In this unique high-intensity/extended low-residency program students will be able to craft a path of study which suits their individual needs and professional ambitions. In addition to a foundational playwriting course, students may concentrate on adjacent areas of focus such as directing, performance, dramaturgy, and/or arts management. Students complete this degree in two summer sessions of four classes each, plus a capstone thesis project.

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New Works Initiative

Playwright’s Lab students have had readings and productions in major theatre centers. These include Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Manhattan. Smaller regional theatres in places like Roanoke and Burlington, Vermont, have also welcomed our students.

The New Works Initiative helps cover the cost of student readings/productions in legitimate theatres. This encompasses the playwright’s travel expenses as well as production costs.

The initiative also makes it possible for student writers to work with guest professional directors. It supports their work as actors, dramaturgs, and designers on plays by important guest writers.

If you wish to support the New Works Initiative of the Playwright’s Lab, you may do so online. Be sure to select “other” and designate that the gift is for the New Works Initiative.

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Courses

Ideally, the 40-credit hour degree is completed in two summers but, depending on student needs, may be completed over a longer period. 

Courses Offered (PDF)

Costs

Tuition

  • Summer 2024 tuition: $865 per credit hour, or $10,380 for the normal load of three four-credit courses.

Fees

  • New students must pay a nonrefundable deposit of $400 within two weeks of their acceptance. Returning students must pay a nonrefundable deposit of $200 by May 15 (deposits credited toward summer tuition charges).
  • Technology fee: $150/summer
  • Housing: $1,360
  • Health services: $45

Student scholarships are available. To apply for these, students must complete the FAFSA annually.

The Playwright’s Lab

Students work with some of the most important names in new play development. The Playwright’s Lab has garnered dozens of national awards and commendations from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival–including the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion, considered one of the highest honors in educational theatre. But our greatest achievement is the way in which our program offers a collaborative and creative community, where people who came looking for a graduate school found an artistic home.

“All of a sudden everyone wants you to work for them when you get an M.F.A. Had to turn down two colleges wanting to get me in for the spring semester… I had to turn them down because my play was being directed by Bob Moss and going to New York City.”

Taylor Gruenloh M.F.A. ’14

“Word on the street is that Hollins playwrights write… a lot.”

Nick McCord M.F.A. ’21

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