UNC Writing for the Screen & Stage

I'm pleased to invite one and all to an East Coast reading of my play MORTAL SOIL on April 27th, 2PM at the UNC Media Arts Space, 108 East Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC.

Mortal Soil (Green Street) is the first of two finished plays in a proposed series of six Mortal Soil plays. All take place on the same date at the same time in different neighborhoods of the city of Boston and examine the nature of mortality as defined by each environment.

Free to the public. Open seating.

Hope to see you there!

The 12th annual Writing for the Screen and Stage LONG STORY SHORTS PLAY FESTIVAL, November, 4th and 5th.

THE SAINT-HAYDEN HUMANITAS AWARD, 2022

Taylor Riga

This award addresses age-old human concerns such as truth, liberty, moral purpose and respect for differences. Taylor Riga's script, “R.I.P. NAT MILLER” does a remarkable job of telling a story of su***de, depression, geriatric & palliative care, and loss while making you laugh. Her writing gently walks a tightrope without ever feeling forced. Such painful human stories are difficult to tell, but Taylor allows us to access to the pain of loss, while simultaneously exploring the beauty of life. The screenplay is an acknowledgment of life's randomness and the choice one has to decide upon hope. Many congratulations to a fine writer, a great student, and all-around terrific person.

Dr. Michael Acosta

THE 2022 PILLER EXCELLENCE IN SCREENWRITING AWARD

Sydney Pope

Since I am retiring from Carolina and the WSS program, it was with pride, as my last public action, to present this year's award to an outstanding senior from the Writing for the Screen and Stage Minor, Sydney Pope.

Sydney brings an actor's eye to her writing, a performer's sense of purpose that naturally imbues her characters with dramatic urgency. This was on display in her short play for 2021's Long Story Shorts Festival in which a young woman, grieving over the loss of her grandfather, conjures up the male character of her favorite novel in an effort to find relief from the pressures of the outside world. Sydney, who played the lead character herself, brought the page to the stage with an author's perceptivity.

Her feature screenplay story, "Rough Diamonds," about a turn-of-the-20th-century runaway who joins an all-female, London, street gang feels authentic and historically accurate, despite her inability to time travel...yet. To that point, Sydney's an instinctive explorer, often reaching beyond youth and experience. Each project is simply another challenge, another hill to climb, another set of notes to address. She's a tireless re-writer, never losing faith, always pressing on, even when her instructors are shaking their heads. The lesson for them becomes clear over time...never doubt her ambition.

As Professor Michael Acosta writes....

"Sydney's script, “Rough Diamonds” is aptly named. Most of the drafting process felt... well rough. However, the final product was all diamonds. I was blown away with the work done to elevate this into a deep and engaging story. The re-write, which is currently underway, promises an even more entertaining, production-ready screenplay. I am proud to have been a small part of the process and think Sydney being recognized, reflects well on her diligence and devotion to craft."

Congratulations, Sydney. Consider this the first jewel in the crown of your future career.

Dana Coen

I'm proud to announce that five Writing for the Screen and Stage students were honored at The Department of Communication Award Ceremony on Friday, April 20th.

Here are the results.....

The Piller Excellence in Screenwriting Award: Sydney Pope
The Saint Hayden Humanitas Award: Taylor Riga
The Special Initiative Award: Samantha Hines
Student Internship Awards: Imani Edwards and Maia Sichitiu

The results of the student run Carolina Film Association Award ceremony are in and Writing for the Screen and Stage students pretty much swept the board! Congratulations to Maia Sichitiu, Taylor Riga, Imani Edwards and Caleb Schilly for their work on the films The Plug, Loss and Breakfast for Dinner.

Best Actor: Nathan Poesel as “Grady” in The Plug
Best Actress: Shelby Armstrong as “Carlee” in 20 Seconds
Best Supporting Actor: Jalen McCoy as “Shaun” in The Plug
Best Supporting Actress: Imani Edwards as “Anika” in Loss
Best Original Score: Caleb Schilly for Loss
Best Editing: Zack Edwards for The Plug
Best Cinematography: Evan Davison for Loss
Best Director: Taylor Riga for Breakfast for Dinner
Best Screenplay: Taylor Riga for Breakfast for Dinner
Best Picture: Loss

Writing for the Screen and Stage director Dana Coen will be delivering a presentation entitled "Dramatic Writing for the Screen and Stage - Exploring the Fundamentals" at the WRITE NOW! conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday, April 30th at 2PM. If you're in the area, come check it out!

Former Writing for the Screen and Stage instructor Scott Myers' book "The Protagonist's Journey," has just been published by Palgrave. Note the information below. Scott is an outstanding teacher of screenwriting and delves deeply into the power of character-driven storytelling.

Here's an excellent article from The Daily Tar Heel on this year's Long Story Shorts Play Festival, which closed last weekend.

10272021_Acharya_LongStoryShorts-8.jpg Daily student newspaper with university, local, and national news and commentary and coverage of Tar Heel basketball.