Primary Stages Announces Launch Of PRIMARY PLUS Online Programming

Primary Stages announced today the launch of Primary Plus, a series of online programs aimed at helping artists connect with Primary Stages and with each other. Primary Stages and the Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) are committed to creating community even as we are socially distant and grapple with the new normal. For additional details about each program and the most up-to-date information please visit primarystages.org/explore/primary-plus.

VIRTUAL MASTER CLASSES

Many members of our esteemed Primary Stages family of artists have graciously volunteered their time to host FREE Virtual Master Classes. These videos are brief interviews of different artists talking about their life and career, giving advice to artists and answering some "questions from the audience" submitted in advance and answered by the artist. Master Class participants include Theresa Rebeck, Kate Hamill, Jason O'Connell, Mary Bacon, Thom Sesma, Jennifer Mudge, Chris Coffey, Kimberly Senior, Sharon Washington and more to be announced. Click here to view our Master Class Video Series, kicked off first by Mary Bacon!

LUNCH AND LEARN PLAYWRITING PROMPTS

For all of the playwrights, aspiring writers and those brand-new to the craft - if you're seeking community and connection, we want you to have lunch with us...online! Tune in twice a week for lunch-and-learn meetings led by playwrights including Adam Gwon, Daniel Talbott, Kate Moira Ryan, Erin Daley and more to be announced. The playwright will host a FREE hour-long writing workshop with prompts to get your ideas on the page so you can connect while collaborating to create new material and keep your skills sharp. After the workshop, stay online with each other via the platform to eat your lunch together virtually and chat about what you've written!

DIGITAL MEETUPS

Thanks to the generous support of The Howard Gilman Foundation, Primary Stages will use the platform Zoom to host up to 500 guests via video conference for virtual meetups for groups such as the Primary Stages Writer's Group and our company-in-residence, the Latinx Playwrights Circle. In the coming weeks, Primary Stages will also use Zoom to share our favorite material, bolster our artists' works and give space for our family to respond to what's happening in the world right now. Additional details on future readings will be announced shortly.

ONLINE CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

The Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts offers online classes as an extension of our time-tested writing curriculum. These online classes help you create or polish a draft of your new play through weekly assignments and written lectures, providing the necessary structure and deadlines to those outside the tri-state area or with unpredictable schedules. Students will have access to their instructor and classmates via a virtual classroom, including virtual class time and enhanced file-sharing capabilities. Click here for a listing of online classes available now for registration and be sure to check back as we add more online offerings and develop a series of Online Workshops!

DETENTION: THE CORONALOGUES

Detention is an evening of new and original theater pieces written, directed and performed exclusively by ESPA artists. In this series, ESPA playwrights are given two weeks to create new, short plays based on a specific writing assignment. These plays are then paired with ESPA actors & directors and presented in a one-night-only performance. For this special edition of Detention, our writers will respond to the coronavirus-whatever that means, evokes, or strikes in them-and then teams of artists will rehearse, collaborate on and perform these pieces exclusively online. This Detention will be held in April. More details about submissions and how to tune in are coming soon.