Question 1

What if English is not my first language?

Accepted Answer

Not a problem at all. We simply ask that you feel comfortable writing and sharing your piece in English.

Question 2

Does the story I write need to be a real story based on my cross-cultural experience?

Accepted Answer

No! Your story will be fictionalized. Use your imagination and draw from your cross-cultural experiences.

Question 3

Do I need to have a story in mind to participate?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly, but we do expect you to come prepared with an idea and a preference for which cross-cultural experiences in your life you'd like to draw from. It can change throughout the program.

Question 4

How long do I have to have lived away from my home country to be considered for this program?

Accepted Answer

You are eligible if you have lived outside your home country for at least one consecutive year. This includes people who were born in the United States and lived abroad, as well as people who were born abroad and now live in the United States.

Question 5

Do I need experience in creative writing before joining the program?

Accepted Answer

No! All we ask is that you have a desire to take a professional introductory storytelling course and are excited to grow as a writer and storyteller.

Question 6

What if I don't want to be in the industry and this is just a passion project?

Accepted Answer

That's great! As long as you're committed to the work. The program will offer you a way into the industry, but it's up to you if you want to take it further. We will also give you suggestions on how to adapt this story to serve you in a final "Future vision" exercise.

Question 7

If I don't want to become a playwright, but want to write a story, is this still for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We spend more than half of the program focused on story fundamentals - agnostic of medium, and we introduce other media as well. But our philosophy is that transforming a story into a play script will give you deep foundational experience in translating your story to other mediums in the future in a much more accessible way. And more than that, it gives you the unique opportunity to see and hear your story workshopped and showcased "out loud", which will further service the success of your story across mediums.

Question 8

What if I can't commit to the allotted time?

Accepted Answer

This is a rigorous educational program that requires committing to 3 hours of in-person learning per week and about 2-3 hours of homework most weeks. However, we appreciate your busy schedules and will record live sessions to be watched if you must miss a session or two, and allow up to 2 absences with no penalty (excluding rehearsal week and the final showcase). We can also be flexible with homework assignments, and will assign you an accountability buddy to help you stay on track.

Question 9

Do I have to pay to join this program?

Accepted Answer

As this is an educational program for non-professional writers, we will need to charge for this program to cover the cost of professional trainers, guest lecturers, and a team of artists who will help you put on your final piece that will be recorded for you to use in a portfolio, should you be interested. The program costs $2500 and 2 needs-based scholarships will be awarded to selected applicants that reduce the price by 50%.

Question 10

What will I leave the course with?

Accepted Answer

We will help you get to a workshopped draft script and get feedback from professional story writers / directors / playwright.

Question 11

What skills do I get out of the program?

Accepted Answer

A strong understanding of how to write a story, tools to transform it into a creative script, a preview for a portfolio, and connections to the industry.

Question 12

What do I need to do to qualify for a certificate for completing the course?

Accepted Answer

Attend at least 80% of all in-person sessions, submission of a first draft full script, presentation of your live preview at the showcase, and submission of your future vision slide deck.

Question 13

I'm worried I will not be able to write an entire play by the end of this program. How long does the final product need to be?

Accepted Answer

We will guide you through every step of the way to get to a first draft script, noting that it is indeed a draft! So there will of course be room to continue to workshop, edit and add to your piece after the program concludes. We will teach you the foundational three act structure which is classic for storytelling, but you can use that framing to write a draft script that can be as short as 20 minutes (20 pages) to as long as 60 minutes (60 pages). For the final showcase, we will ask you to preview your strongest 15 minutes, which you will work on refining even further into a staged reading with a mentor who is a professional director with experience working with new writers and storytellers.

Question 14

When do I need to apply to be considered for the program?

Accepted Answer

The application opens on June 29th at 9:00am EST and will close at 9pm EST on August 7th.

Question 15

How long will the program run?

Accepted Answer

The program will start on September 7th and will conclude with the final showcase on December 12th.

Question 16

What if I’m not available to participate in this cohort. Will there be future cohorts?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We are planning on running more programs in 2027 and beyond.

Question 17

I work a full time job, can I still participate?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all in person sessions will occur on the weekends and any virtual sessions we have for office hours or guest lectures will be scheduled outside of work hours and will be optional to attend.

Question 18

Can I decide to quit after the program has started?

Accepted Answer

Once you have enrolled we ask that you continue your participation in the course until the end. If you do have to drop out for any reason we will not be able to refund your program payment.

Question 19

Do I have to live in DC to participate?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do require that you live in the DMV area to participate in the inaugural program in Fall 2026. There will be in person sessions that will be in DC that you are required to participate in. We are considering virtual cohorts for the future. So keep an eye out for those future opportunities.

Question 20

I would like to participate but I don’t want my identity to be publicized. Is this possible?

Accepted Answer

Of course! We want to honor everyone’s privacy and will only publicly name you on our website and social media with your permission. You will let us know your preferences once you have enrolled in the course.

Question 21

Do I need to hold a certain immigration status to be eligible to participate in the program?

Accepted Answer

No, we do not have any visa requirements. We just require that you are able to provide a form of identification upon enrolling in the program.

Question 22

What are the accepted payment methods to enroll in the course?

Accepted Answer

We accept direct deposit, Pay Pal, check, cash, and wire transfer.

program FAQS