Program Description
The objective of the MFA program in Writing for the Screen and Stage is to train leaders in the fields of screen/television and stage writing who will help form the media of the future. The program will provide participants with a broad and deep understanding of media writing, familiarity with production concepts, equipment, and techniques, and an understanding of the universals that connect all media.

Building on the School of Communication’s successful cross-departmental undergraduate Creative Writing for the Media Program, the Department of Radio/TV/Film’s strength in screenwriting, and the depth of professional experience of the program’s faculty, the new program will be the first to include both playwriting and screenwriting genres and has the potential to become the premier program of its type in the country.

The program will focus on writing for both screen and stage and will also include a production component. Students will participate in internships and classes in the professional world of television, film and theatre in Hollywood, New York and Chicago. The program will also provide opportunities for MFA students to see their work produced, either at Northwestern or through arrangements with theatrical and film companies in the greater Chicago area.

Regardless of the student’s individual focus, each student will develop an understanding of all three program disciplines: screenwriting, television writing, and playwriting. Graduates will create a short screenplay, a one-act play, a television episode, a feature-length film and a feature-length project of their choosing. During the first year, students’ course work will be split equally between screenwriting, television writing, and playwriting. In their second year, students will concentrate on writing a full-length piece in a chosen idiom. Second-year MFA students will also gain experience in the classroom by teaching undergraduate RTVF courses in screenwriting.

The program requires 18 credits of coursework to be completed in two years. The curriculum involves six core courses, four topics courses, three production courses, four theory, history, and/or culture courses, and one credit consisting of an independent study or internship (or combination of partial-credit internships).

Faculty

In addition to two new hires (Rebecca Gilman, RTVF; Brett Neveu, RTVF)  in the fields of playwriting and screenwriting, the program will enable students to utilize the talents of current Northwestern University faculty by taking as electives topics, production, or theory/history/culture courses offered by the departments of Radio/TV/Film, Performance Studies, and Theatre. Relevant faculty include David Tolchinsky (Radio/TV/Film), Bill Bleich (Radio/TV/Film), Rebecca Gilman (Radio/TV/Film), Brett Neveu (Radio/TV/Film), David Downs (Theatre), Paul Edwards (Performance Studies), Penny Penniston (Theatre), Ana Puga (Theatre), Harvey Young (Theatre), Sean Douglas (Theatre), Mary Zimmerman (Performance Studies).

Visiting Artists/Adjunct Faculty

The program will also tap the talents of media writing professionals, including Northwestern alumni, emeriti, and others who have recently taught for the undergraduate Creative Writing for the Media Program. Possible adjunct faculty/visiting artists include screenwriters, playwrights, television producers, and directors, many of them locally-based.