WRITING A SHORT PLAY WITHIN 48 HOURS

You’re given some source material. Now you only have a few hours to incorporate all this information and write a 10-minute play. So, what do you do next? How do you optimize the time and information you’ve been given to create a short play with fully developed characters and a clear, concise story?  After participating in several iterations of 48-hour and 24-hour play festivals in NYC (Obie-award-winning Harlem 9, Pregones Theatre, INTAR, and The Musical Theatre Factory), I’ve learned that there’s an art to this challenge. In this workshop, I will share what I’ve learned, and offer some strategies to use before and during the writing process that will help you deliver a play you are proud of!

Christin Eve Cato is a playwright, dramaturg, and performing artist from the Bronx. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Indiana University and completed her BA in Political Science and Philosophy at Fordham University. Cato is also a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts. She is affiliated with NYC theater companies, Pregones/PRTT (ensemble member & former Resident Dramaturg), INTAR Theatre (UNIT 52 ensemble member), and the Latinx Playwrights Circle. She is also a playwright in the WP Theater 2022-2024 Pipeline Lab. Cato’s artistic style is expressed through Caribbean culture and the Afro-Latinx diaspora, honoring her Puerto Rican and Jamaican roots. Her recent play productions include the Off-Broadway sensation, Sancocho (co-produced by The Latinx Playwrights Circle, The Sol Project and WP Theatre), and The Diamond (The Peoples Theatre Project/Pregones Theatre).  Recent dramaturgy credits include: Somewhere (Geva Theatre Center), Torched (PRTT), The Comedy of Errors (The Public), Hamlet (Classical Theatre of Harlem/ The Folger Theatre). Publication/Contributor credits include: We Are Not Neutral (Amazon Books), Latinx Actor Training (Routledge), and Sancocho (coming soon, Concord Theatricals). She is repped by WME Agency and 3 Arts Entertainment. www.christinevecato.com