classes start next week!

summer camp for adults (basically)

Imagine: You’re sitting on a sunny (but not too sunny) bench in a secret sliver of your favorite park. You’ve got a leather-bound journal in your hand and a pen that glides like the expensive lube you got to use with your ex but never even opened and then eventually threw away. The breeze swirls through your hair as you drink a kombucha, and you write about that one time you had sex with an aspiring magician in your parents bed. This could be you. This could be your life.

This summer, take a chance on yourself bish. Put yourself in print or on the stage, write your secrets, turn your life into art. After all, there are two sides to every story, but you’re the one with the pen.

MODERN LOVE LAB - Explore the many faces of love in this 9-session guided workshop, designed for writers eager to craft essays and stories that capture intimacy, humor, heartbreak, and everything in between. We’ll focus on personal essays in the style of the New York Times’ Modern Love and Tiny Love Stories, while also experimenting with prompts, forms, and structures that illuminate the theme of love in all its complexity.

Even if you never submit to the Modern Love column, this class will help you put language to the complicated, hard-to-name feelings that shape your relationships.

SOLO SHOW BOOT CAMP is for actors, comedians, creative people, writers & performers who...

• dream of creating a solo show but have no clue where to even start (or, you know, how to actually finish it)

• are stuck staring at that blank page, feeling overwhelmed or second-guessing themselves at every turn

• crave solid guidance, structure, feedback and accountability from other passionate writers

• want creative control over their careers, by-pass gatekeepers, fast-track their career, and create big opportunities for themselves

Why write a solo show?

• Creative Control + Autonomy
  At times, being an actor/writer/performer/creative person can lead to a sense of powerlessness. Constantly waiting for someone to choose you, cast you, approve of you, hire you, or give you permission. Solo performance allows you to assert yourself and take the reins. No more waiting, wishing, or depending on others to create the work you want.

• Cast Yourself as the Lead
  Write your dream part for yourself.

• Make Money off Your Art
  The belief that we must give our art away for free is one we need to abandon. While there may not be millions waiting for you, with the right mindset and resourcefulness, you can absolutely monetize your show—earning way more than the cost of this class. (I provide helpful tips in the “What Now?” Guidebook that each student receives!)

• Tell Your Story
  Your personal story, perspective, emotions, and opinions are important. If you care about what you have to say, so will an audience. We process the hardship, humor, and beauty of the world through art. Don’t deprive an audience that is waiting for you.

• Perform at Festivals
  Fringe (and other show festivals) give you the opportunity to perform your own show many times for actual audiences! It’s also an incredible way to immerse yourself in an arts scene, create community, and be inspired!

• Develop a Bigger Project
  Fleabag and Baby Reindeer both began as solo shows. The show writing process requires you to address essential questions about your project, helping you avoid getting too far along without a clear understanding of what your piece is about. Whether you aim to write a pilot, screenplay, book, or a longer show, a solo show serves as a valuable stepping stone toward your larger project.

Take these three months and finally write the show you’ve been dreaming of.

The next Written in Brooklyn Storytelling Show is going to be completely unhinged. I promise. The theme is Whoops!, and these stories will have you howling and gasping, and probably enlighten you in a way that will have you texting someone an apology. But after the show! Put your phones away!

Hope you can rip yourself away from the love of your life (your phone) long enough to join us this summer! Let’s get creative + weird!

Best,

Carly