Class begins Sunday, Jan. 9. Join us!
ARTS JOURNALISM SEMINAR: WRITING PERFORMANCE CRITICISM
SPRING 2022
BYRON WOODS
Performance criticism – publicly analyzing and discussing the meaning and impact of theater, dance and musical artworks, in the cultures in which they appear – takes place across a broad spectrum of audiences, technologies and markets. It regularly appears on public radio, television and in print. Online, we hear it on podcasts, and see it on social media platforms and blogs, vlogs, and websites for a variety of news and information sources.
But how do we join this ongoing, culture-wide conversation on the arts?
The question gets sharper if we’re not members of the groups that have historically dominated the discourse. When cultural discussions have been monopolized by the privileged, other marginalized social groups and their artworks have often been devalued, misrepresented or ignored.
How do new, different voices from all communities develop and add their insights and perspectives persuasively in this critical arena? What specific skills are needed?
I will teach a private seminar in performance criticism during the Spring of 2022. The class will take place in 13 sessions over 14 weeks, beginning the week of January 3 and ending the week of April 4.
You do not have to be a professional writer to benefit from this course. It’s designed for people who are passionate about the live arts, feel motivated to write about them, and are ready to raise their voices and explore, exercise and develop their literary and critical skills.
During the class, you’ll have many opportunities to sharpen your observational and analytical abilities, and respond to a broad variety of performance experiences. Carefully focused weekly writing assignments will incrementally build into full reviews and features.
In addition to the 39 contact hours in class, we’ll attend live productions, view online performances and meet with guest artists and technicians to gain greater insights into their art forms. In editing the writing of others, you’ll improve the essential skill of editing your own work.
With its emphasis on real-world skills and outcomes in writing persuasive critical reviews and features, this course will help you claim, refine and confidently raise your own voice in the public conversation on the arts.
I am an award-winning critic, arts reporter and editor with 27 years’ experience writing for regional and national newspapers, websites and publications. I have taught criticism at the college level as a six-time clinician and critic-in-residence at the Kennedy Center / American College Theater Festivals, and in courses on arts journalism at UNC Greensboro.
My achievements in the field have also been recognized in two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships in arts criticism, two National Critics Institute fellowships at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and multiple awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the North Carolina Press Association.
Demonstrable growth regularly takes place among my students. Dustin K. Britt, editor at Chatham Life and Style, says, “Byron's criticism seminar was challenging, thought-provoking, and a hell of a lot of fun. If I write well at all, it's largely thanks to those early sessions.”
The class will meet for a three-hour session on Tuesdays or Wednesdays; the schedule is being finalized at this point. The course experience is richer in person, but will also be available online. To ensure that all participants have an optimal learning experience, I will cap the class at fifteen students.
Tuition: Money is hard, and has gotten harder for most during the pandemic. I don’t want tuition to be a barrier for potential students, and particularly for those who might find it more difficult during a holiday season (although, for the right recipient, the class could make a useful and delightful gift).
In the interest of transparency, I will teach 39 contact hours and work at least one hour per student over the 13 weeks for out-of-class prep and evaluating writing assignments.
For students who can enroll and pay by Dec. 31, tuition is $500 for the course. After that, the price is $600.
Students may also pay for the class on a monthly basis: $200 per month, due January, February and March 5. I accept PayPal and personal check.
Discounted rates are also available on the basis of financial need.
Prospective students who want to see if the course might serve their needs first can attend the first class without further commitment, provided that space is available after all enrolled students are accommodated. Single class access: $30. Single-access students who decide to continue can apply that fee to the full tuition.
To enroll in the course, email me at byron.woods@gmail.com, or text or phone on (919) 225-4580.
If you have accessibility concerns, other questions or would like information on future courses in arts journalism, please reach me at the same contacts.
No comments:
Post a Comment