9:00 am

Too Much Singing? Try a Dancical!

These days, it feels like a new musical pops up every week. Is it too much? Is there another way? Enter the dancical. Like a musical, but with dancing instead of singing. This format taps into the visceral storytelling power of choreography, requires less suspension of disbelief than people bursting into song, and opens up exciting opportunities for dancer-actors.

Writer/director Zheng Wang introduces the format and invites you to help devise a brand-new dancical concept. His team will then create and rehearse a mini-dancical in just over a day, and present it before the festival ends. What could possibly go wrong??

Performers: Zheng Wang, Natalie Sampson, Nick Mendoza

10:00 am

Poetry As Performance

Members of the Cascadia Poetics Lab will read their original poetry then lead a discussion about the relationship between poetry and performance. Zach Charles, a member of CPL's Cascadia 2050 youth initiative, would also discuss poetry as a tool for youth to express, perform and connect.

Poets: Paul E Nelson, Dion O’Reilly, Zach Charles, Ankober Yewondwossen
Moderator: Buffy Sedlachek

11:15 am

Shivering with Adapt...ation

Breathing new life into existing IP is an exciting challenge for writers, nightlife performers, and solo artists. Join playwright/adapter Jo Jo Stiletto, director Verity Germaine, and Noveltease Theatre's Co-Artistic Director Sailor St. Claire for a case study about the process of creating a queer burlesque adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.

In a lively discussion, these experienced nightlife creators will share stories, strategies, tools, and exercises on approaching character, tone, and themes through imaginative reframing. How can multidisciplinary approaches help create a strong vision for your future adaptations?

Performers: Jo Jo Stiletto, Verity Germaine, Sailor St. Claire

12:30 pm

IT WAS DARK WHEN WE MET, BUT IT’S LIGHT NOW

This durational movement piece and interactive 1:1 experience takes place in the Department of Liminal Affairs. Usher is doing the paperwork of the dead on their way to the afterlife. There is a lot of it. He pauses from time to time and calls out a number. If it’s your number, you can choose to join him. It’s like the DMV but worse. However, whatever happens in this interaction, you will come out into the light, which is where our DMV analogy stops.

This performance runs during the lunch breaks on both days. You may choose to engage with it in a way that is comfortable for you—either indirectly as an observer or through an interactive experience with the performer.

Performer: Alina Rios

1:45 pm

Write That Podcast!

How do you tell a captivating story in the hot format of audio podcasting? Seattle's NPR station KUOW produces news, documentary, food, science, culture, and nature podcasts. A panel of their writers and editors will share advice on how to entertain, inspire, and cast a spell. There will be a discussion, audio examples, and lots of stories.

Speakers: Bill Radke, Dyer Oxley, Lucy Soucek, Phyllis Fletcher

3:00 pm

We Go Together: Navigating the AI Era as a Community

The AI era has arrived, and the writing community finds itself facing a critical question, “How will we navigate the challenges, changes and opportunities that lay ahead?” Drawing on wisdom from the 19th century labor rights movement and the 20th century civil rights movement, the answer is, “together.” In this spirit, a panel will explore: What are the challenges created by AI for the writing community? What is the collective wisdom we can draw on as we navigate these challenges? What is the best future we can imagine for ourselves as a community in the AI era? Following this guided conversation, the event facilitator will present questions from the audience for the panel's discussion.

Panelists: Jessica Heaton, Nisi Shawl, Shankar Narayan

4:15 pm

The Connection

Connection: a place where two or more things unite.

This is THE event where two or more writers will be united over a nibble, a beverage, a bingo card, and stimulating conversation with fellow writers and performing arts leaders and luminaries. Visit six conversation stations and chat with the locals and your fellow writers. Chat about Something! (What inspires you? What does collaboration mean to you?) Chat about Nothing! (Best coffee shop for getting stuff done? Most inspirational park?)

Pick up a bingo card in the morning and collaborate with other writers on filling it out throughout the day. Turn the card in at The Connection event to win prizes small and large.

Facilitator: Rebecca O’Neil

9:30 am

TBA

lorem ipsum…

Performers: TBA

10:00 am

Weaving the Self: History, Art, and Narrative

In this workshop, we'll explore finding our own stories through telling those of historical figures, and we’ll learn how framing our personal narrative through the lens of historical figures opens up rich opportunities for structure and emotional depth. Two artistic staff members from Union Arts Center will discuss their current production of Frida: a self-portrait and discuss how the artist uses Frida Kahlo's history to weave a compelling theatrical piece of self-discovery. You will then be led through a series of writing prompts, and we'll have a group conversation about the process and its possibilities.

Presenter: Tess Berger, Amber Granger

10:00 am

We Go Together: Community Creation of a Manifesto for the AI Era

The AI era has arrived, and the writing community finds itself facing a critical question, “How will we navigate the challenges, changes and opportunities that lay ahead?” Drawing on wisdom from the We Go Together panel and all members of this drafting session, participants will engage in the facilitated development of a manifesto that guides us towards the best future we can imagine for ourselves as a community in the AI era.

We will review the Black Space Manifesto (2015), The Feminist Manifesto (1970), the Zapatista Declarations of the Lacandon Jungle manifesto (2005), and Sins Invalid disability justice manifesto (2016) then break into small groups to develop, draft, and edit our own manifestos.

This workshop builds on Saturday’s We Go Together panel and will empower you with a hopeful vision for the future and practical means to begin generating that future.

Presenter: Jessica Heaton

11:15 am

Madam(e) Lou

Seattle: a town know for Frasier, Amazon, Starbucks, and tech bros. But it's not a city known for its history, and that's a shame because its history is downright bonkers. While its streets and buildings honor its founding fathers, there is a founding mother who has been written out of the history books because of her trade: Madam Lou Graham.

Join award-winning writer and performer Kate Danley for a funny, fascinating first look at one of Seattle's most influential and erased power players. Meticulously researched for over ten years, this one-woman show finally lets Madam(e) Lou tell her own story as one of Seattle’s most important and forgotten woman… The truth is stranger than fiction, and no one could make this stuff up.

This performance will be followed by a discussion.

Performer: Kate Danley

12:30 pm

IT WAS DARK WHEN WE MET, BUT IT’S LIGHT NOW

This durational movement piece and interactive 1:1 experience takes place in the Department of Liminal Affairs. Usher is doing the paperwork of the dead on their way to the afterlife. There is a lot of it. He pauses from time to time and calls out a number. If it’s your number, you can choose to join him. It’s like the DMV but worse. However, whatever happens in this interaction, you will come out into the light, which is where our DMV analogy stops.

This performance runs during the lunch breaks on both days. You may choose to engage with it in a way that is comfortable for you—either indirectly as an observer or through an interactive experience with the performer.

Performer: Alina Rios

1:45 pm

Build Your Own Critique Group with LineStorm Playwrights

Join Portland's LineStorm Playwrights in a lively workshop on starting and running your own critique group. We'll delve into your questions and reflect on our own 10 years in Oregon supporting group members from the first glimmer of an idea to feedback sessions, staged readings, and world premieres.

After a brief intro, we will break into small groups, do a short writing exercise, and share our work. Come ready to make connections and perhaps even leave with your own new writing group!

Presenters: Lolly Ward, Holly Harmon, Sara Jean Accuardi, Sofia Molimbi

1:45 pm

Active Collaboration Between Playwrights & Dramaturgs

Have you ever wondered what a Dramaturg is? Or how you can work with a Dramaturg as a Playwright? Join Jess Ellison and Beth Pollack for Active Collaboration Between Playwrights & Dramaturgs! In this workshop, we will introduce you to the fundamentals of dramaturgy and, specifically, new work dramaturgy. We will explore what a Dramaturg’s role can be when working with a Playwright, and how a Playwright can best set themselves up for success and communicate their needs with a Dramaturg.

We will also play a theater game to provide you insight into how a Dramaturg may approach their work. This workshop will be both fun and informative for all dramatic writers.

Presenters: Jess Ellison, Beth Pollack

3:00 pm

Open Mic

Bring any piece of performing writing you’d like to hear out loud! Four professional actors will read your work. It’s a cold read, and roles will be assigned randomly, so who knows how this will go! This is your chance to share your writing with your fellow Scrib Fest goers and celebrate what others are working on.

To participate, bring up to 4 pages of text. This can include: dramatic script, poetry, narrative, hybrid - anything meant to be read out loud for an audience!

Writers: You!
Performers: Jeremy Radick, Elizabeth Dilley, Sofia Ayala, TBA

4:15 pm

Too Much Singing? Try a Dancical!

These days, it feels like a new musical pops up every week. Is it too much? Is there another way? Enter the dancical. Like a musical, but with dancing instead of singing. This format taps into the visceral storytelling power of choreography, requires less suspension of disbelief than people bursting into song, and opens up exciting opportunities for dancer-actors.

Writer/director Zheng Wang introduces the format and invites you to help devise a brand-new dancical concept. His team will then create and rehearse a mini-dancical in just over a day, and present it before the festival ends. What could possibly go wrong??

Performers: Zheng Wang, Natalie Sampson, Nick Mendoza