Description
“Telling our truth is one of the bravest acts we can do moment to moment, especially for writers. We need to give ourselves permission to say the thing that we fear so that it has no power over us.”
-Dionna Griffin-Irons
All writers run up against the fear and doubt that keep us from telling our stories, especially when writing about personal experience. All too often we play it safe (or don’t play at all!) on the page. We stay in our heads instead of exploring the infinite possibilities of where truth lives – in our bodies and in relation to someone.
Connecting to our peers beyond the classroom experience deepens our connection and relationship to one another. When we are connected to our truth in every moment we can remember a writer’s greatest creative weapon: our voice, and the power of our stories and the calling
Taught by Dionna Griffin-Irons, “one of Second City’s best mentors” Telling Your Truth is a transformative experience that energizes writers to experiment, improvise, and give voice to their life experiences with a new sense of awareness. Using favorite improv strategies and an unforgettable truth-telling story, this course ignites any writing process with a bit of creative therapy, laughter, and unexpected surprise in a supportive atmosphere. This class is ideal for any writer seeking a creative tune-up or fire to jumpstart their “truth” in a new project.
Telling Your Truth brings an immersive experience that allows writers to experiment with low stakes improvisation exercises, guided peer discussion to unveil high stakes truth to the page. Exploring simple scenic exposition, 4 W’s (Who, What, Where and Why), writers share their voice in a variety of fun, creative risks – impromptu scenes, unforgettable characters, and unapologetic rants! Breaking the pattern of solo writing, writers interact and connect in a variety of exercises that fuel memory, truth and spontaneity. In class, experience consists of lecture, personal storytelling, writing prompts, and weekly discussion of excerpts from favorite contemporary writers and satirists. A portion of class time is devoted to experiential discovery from improvisation with peers.
Week One – Trust and Ego – Where Truth Lives
Week Two – Exploring 4 W’s in Scenework
Week Three – Pushing Our Perspective
Week Four – Unpacking the Truth in New Mediums
Week Five – Characters, Rants, Obsessions
Week Six – Rituals to Truth and Class Sharing
NOTE: THIS CLASS WILL BE IN-PERSON UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. PLEASE READ OUR STRICT VACCINE POLICY, AND KNOW WE WILL BE FOLLOWING STATE AND CDC GUIDELINES ON COVID RESTRICTIONS.
