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  • Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals (Fall 2025)

Fall 2025

Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals

The Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s theatre industry. This Journey provides insight into the work of a playwright – a deep understanding of live storytelling and professional scripts, plays vs musicals, professional working practices, and employment strategies. We will look to popular musicals such as Wicked for inspiration in creating original pieces.

Spring 2026 Enrollment Is Now Open!

Spring 2026 enrollment is currently open. Enroll in a Journey today.

You may also sign up for Mentorship on Demand and/or membership at any time.

 

Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals Community Experiences

Mentees and mentors in this Journey are required to attend the monthly Journey meetings during the cycle and the Play Showcase.

Journey Meeting Dates:

  • Monday, November 10, 2025, 7 pm ET
  • Monday, December 1, 2025, 7 pm ET
  • Monday, January 12, 2026, 7 pm ET

Play Showcase:

  • Saturday, January 31, 2026, 12 pm ET

In addition, all participants must attend at least one community event each month, with strong recommendations to join Exploratory Community Studios, College & Career Chats, or Salon Experiences.

Journey Circle: Community

Writing for the Stage: From Plays to Musicals Courses

Writing for the Stage: From Plays to Musicals
This course is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s theatre industry. Writing for the Stage: From Plays to Musicals provides insight into the work of a scriptwriter – a deep understanding of live storytelling and professional scripts, short-form and full-length scripts, professional working practices, and employment strategies. Specific topics range from story structure to librettos to actually staging the play.

Writing

Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals Mentoring

Mentees and mentors in the Wicked Stagewriting Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month. Mentees will write a short play, while mentors will offer support and guidance throughout the process. This Journey is open to both mentor-mentee pairs and peer-to-peer pairs.

Journey Teaching Artist

Carmen Rivera

(she/her/ella)

Carmen Rivera holds an MA in Playwriting and Latin American Theatre from New York University. Her play, La Gringa, was part of the OBIE Award Winning Series New Voices in 1996 and recently celebrated its 29th year anniversary in repertory at Repertorio Español. It is now the longest running Spanish-language play in Off-Broadway history. It was published in both English and Spanish by Concord Theatrical Productions (Formerly Samuel French.)  

Off-Broadway productions include: Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz (Co-Written with Cándido Tirado) – (HOLA Award, Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting); La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny (ACE Award – Best Production); Julia de Burgos: Child of Water; To Catch The Lightning (Nomination ACE Award – Best Production.) 

La Caída De Rafael Trujillo (The Downfall of Rafael Trujillo) – (ATI Award for Best Production) has had 4 sold out productions at Teatro Círculo. It is now available at Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) in both English and in Spanish.

Carmen has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), ATT On-Stage and New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA). For more information on Carmen, check out www.carmenrivera-writer.com.

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Journeys in the Script 360 Adventure focus on writing for film, television, and the stage. It is recommended for mentees and mentors who would like to create their own plays, screenplays, or teleplays.

Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals is a Journey in the Script 360 Adventure.

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In this Journey, participants will explore the power of comedy as a tool for social change, with a special focus on stand-up comedy. From climate change and economic inequality to LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and mental health, you’ll learn how to write and perform material that blends humor with meaningful social critique. Through workshops and performance coaching, you’ll develop your own comedic voice. Discover how satire and personal storytelling can raise awareness, inspire dialogue, and challenge the status quo— all while keeping your audience laughing. By the end of the Journey, you’ll have developed a 5 -10-minute stand-up routine that not only entertains but sparks meaningful conversations about the world around us. Comedy is a form of intelligence, whether you’re new to comedy or a seasoned performer, this Journey will help you use humor as a force for social impact.

The-Power-of-Punchlines

Explore Tour (Summer 2026)

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Explore Tour, photos of two girls smiling, GWN logo

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