Playwriting and Screenwriting
BA
Playwriting and Screenwriting
Come write your stories with us—and find out where it takes you.
Boundless Opportunity
Playwriting and Screenwriting at Purchase is educating the next generation of screenwriters, playwrights, artistic directors, literary agents, film critics, TV producers and showrunners, high school teachers, film directors, nurses, social workers, and marine biologists. That may seem like a lot of places to take a dramatic writing degree, but it is a sampling of where our graduates have gone.
Say More with a Liberal Arts Degree
Playwriting and Screenwriting at Purchase is uniquely designed for students who want a deep understanding of the art and craft involved in writing for theater, film, and television within the context of a liberal arts education.
We turn out strong writers who have something meaningful to say. No matter where our graduates take their degree, we know opportunities abound for creative, collaborative people with strong storytelling and communication abilities. Employers are increasingly looking for skills that come from a more explorative college education.*
Winning Faculty
Our award-winning faculty of working artists bring warmth, humor, and generosity to the intimate workshops they teach. Our proximity to New York City gives students access to all the city has to offer, including internships at theater companies, television production studios, talent agencies, and more.
Get to Know Us
Be sure to check out our newsfeed below and click the tabs to the right to meet our impressive faculty of professional writers, learn more about our internship opportunities, and find out what our alumni are up to.
* National Bureau of Economic Research, American Educator Magazine Fall 2021
Past Guest Instructors
- Martyna Majok (Playwright)
- Susan Soon He Stanton (Screenwriter)
- Christina Anderson (Playwright)
- Sylvan Oswald (Playwright)
- Jaffe Cohen (Screenwriter)
- Mattson Tomlin ’12 (Filmmaker, Writer)
- Andy Bragen (Playwright)
- Katie Pearl (Playwright)
- Melisa Tien (Playwright, Lyricist, Librettist)
- A. Rey Pamatmat (Playwright)
- Margot Bordelon (Theater Director)
- MJ Kaufman (Playwright)
- Greg dePaul (Playwright, Screenwriter)
- Charly Evon Simpson (Playwright)
- Bryan Korn ’12 (Writer, Producer)
The Heliotrope List
Read a sample of the screenplays, plays, and teleplays written by students in the Playwriting & Screenwriting program selected by faculty for inclusion in the Heliotrope List.
Career Possibilities
Students with a BA in playwriting and screenwriting have found success in a wide variety of careers, including:
- Screenwriter
- High School Teacher
- Director
- Marine Conservation
- Television Producer
- Cirque du Soleil Clown
- Playwright
- College Professor
- Social Worker
Visit the Career Development Center to learn more.
Playwriting and Screenwriting
Begin your writing foundation in the first semester, then progress into classes that emulate professional experiences in the industry, like TV writing rooms, writing for stage musicals, songwriting in collaboration with student musicians, playmaking with student actors., and directing.
Working with professional writers teaching small classes, you’ll be mentored well and leave with a portfolio of work, including either a feature-length screenplay, a full-length play—or both—and a pilot and possibly more episodes of an original TV series or a variety of short plays.
Latest Stories
Sean Kenealy (’07)
Playwriting and Screenwriting Alum busy writing and directing
PWSW - NEW PLAYS NOW 2024
Five students within the Playwriting & Screenwriting program have been selected for our annual play festival.
Tatiana Kouguell-Hoell
PWSW (’18) and MFA Playwriting Columbia University