Education

LEARN FROM THE BEST 

Interested in playwriting, directing or any of the other disciplines involved in putting on a world-class production?

Come to one of our in-person or online master classes to learn the ins and outs of theatre-making. Our innovative artists take participants into their process, offering insights, encouragement and inspiration. Past guests have included superstar talents like Jackie Sibblies Drury, Tatiana Pandiani, Kate Moira Ryan, Paula Vogel and Elevator Repair Service, and have covered topics including playwriting, directing, choreography and developing new work for the stage.

MASTERCLASS WITH DAMON CARDASIS
REGISTER HERE

Monday, September 8 @ 5:30-7 PM
Location TBA

Join creator and book writer Damon Cardasis for a 90-minute masterclass all about adapting stories. Writer and director of the original Saturday Church film, Damon will talk through his process of creating new work inspired by real life stories, and what changes go into bringing a film to the stage. From adapting his film to a staged musical, to producing documentaries as well as producing, writing and directing narrative films, Damon will discuss his experience of storytelling across multiple mediums and offer an inside look into his multi-faceted range of work. Ideal learning opportunity for writers, storytellers, and creatives of all backgrounds.  

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DAMON CARDASIS is an Emmy and WGA Award nominated writer, director and producer of film, television and theatre. In 2017, Cardasis wrote and directed his critically acclaimed feature debut, Saturday Church, which won multiple festival awards around the world and was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Film, Limited Release. He is currently co-writing a musical adaptation of Saturday Church, alongside James Ijames (Fat Ham), with music & lyrics by global pop superstar Sia, additional music by trailblazing DJ Honey Dijon and directed by Whitney White (JaJa’s African Hair Braiding). The musical will receive its World Premiere at New York Theatre Workshop. Previously, Cardasis produced Rebecca Miller’s She Came to Me, starring Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway, and Marisa Tomei, which was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song by Bruce Springsteen, and was chosen as the opening night of the 2023 Berlin Film Festival. Cardasis also produced Miller’s Maggie’s Plan starring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, and Maya Rudolph, which screened at the Toronto, New York, Sundance and Berlin film festivals. For television, Cardasis was nominated for an Emmy for producing the HBO documentary “Arthur Miller: Writer,” which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. On Broadway, Cardasis produced The Arthur Miller Centennial–a one-night-only benefit starring Bradley Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Barkin, Laurence Fishburne, Tony Kushner, John Turturro, and Peter Sarsagaard. Cardasis was profiled in Out Magazine’s annual Tastemaker issue and was also chosen to be part of Out Magazine’s annual OUT 100. In 2009, he co-founded The Lower East Side Film Festival, which continues to showcase low-budget films from around the world.

Pricing: Pay what you can options of $10, $20 and $30

Professionals and members of the general public are welcome. To be notified about future Master Classes, send an email to classes@nytw.org.

Previous Master Classes have included:

• DAC Masterclass Series: Writing, Storytelling & Nurturing an Idea with Josefina Baez (Summer 2022)
• DAC Masterclass Series: Producing the Artist with Cindy De La Cruz and Merlixse Ventura (Summer 2022)
• DAC Masterclass Series: How to Tell a Compelling Story (Acting) with Elvis Nolasco (Summer 2022)
• DAC Masterclass Series: Filmmaking & Multimedia Storytelling with Gabriela Ortega (Summer 2022)
• DAC Masterclass Series: Storytelling through Music & Composition with Yasser Tejada (Summer 2022)
• DAC Masterclass Series: Directing (How to Set Up Your Vision) with Eunie Levice (Summer 2022)
• Get Up and Dance! with Timmy Gage (Spring 2021)
• Solo Performance  with marcus d. harvey (Spring 2021)
• Shadow Puppetry with Jaime Roach (Spring 2021)
• Chreating a Character with Nana Dakin (Spring 2021)
• Finding Character in a Musical with Virginia Jimenez (Spring 2021)
• Who Is a Director? with Tatiana Pandiani (Winter 2020)
  
• Acting From The Soul with Anthony Michael Martinez (Winter 2020)
• Kick Off Your Play with Rachel Aileen Abraham (Winter 2020)
• Introduction to Theatre of the Oppressed with Alexander Santiago-Jirau (Summer 2019)
• Playwriting 102: Beginning and Intermediate Writers with Kate Moira Ryan (Fall 2016-2018)
• Playwriting 101: The First Draft with Kate Moira Ryan (Fall 2015)
• The Art of Adaptation with Kate Moira Ryan (Spring and Fall 2014)
• Sense Memory: Finding Inspiration and Writing for Performance with Jackie Sibblies Drury (Spring 2013)
• New Work Development with Elevator Repair Service (Spring and Summer 2013)
• Playwriting “Bootcamp” with Paula Vogel (November 2012)
• Choreography + Text: Translating Source Material Into Performance with Elevator Repair Service (January and November 2012)