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Finding Our Tales: A two-day playwriting intensive with award-winning writer Barret O'Brien When: Friday, August  23 (7pm-9:30pm) and Saturday, August 24 (9:30am-4:30pm) Location: NOCCA Cost: $160 ABOUT THIS CLASS Participants in this two-day intensive will learn to tell their stories using the language of theater. In fun and meaningful sessions, we'll discuss the entire theater process, from planning through production. By the end, each participant will have conceived, created, cast, and staged an original, five-minute play.  DAY ONE: We'll dive into sources of inspiration. In light, collaborative, on-our-feet exercises, we'll break down the creative barriers of "I can’t" and "I’ve never". Each participant will conceive and craft a first draft of an original micro-play. For homework, participants will edit their plays, arriving on day two with a loose and flexible second draft (blemishes and blunders highly encouraged).  DAY TWO: The morning will be devoted to table-working each micro-play. In this collaborative process, participants will mold their work under the guidance of the teacher. Afterward, we'll move to casting, then to rehearsals in a fast and fun afternoon in which each play will be loosely staged with priority given to process, not perfection. The day will culminate with a performance of students' works for a small, invited audience of friends and family. REQUIREMENTS No previous experience is required. Enrollment is limited to adults 18 and over.  ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Barret O’Brien is a playwright, screenwriter, actor, and educator. His plays have been performed across the country including New York, Louisiana, Texas, Connecticut, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. He has garnered a Storer Boone Award for Best New Play; been named a finalist at the William Faulkner Literary Festival; and been published by Yale Palimpsest, Jefferson Journal, LA Miscellany, and Smith & Kraus Books. He’s written screenplays for