Osher Lifelong Learning Institute - UC San Diego

La Jolla Playhouse:
Winter of New Work
Premier Series
Friday 10:00 a.m.
Classroom 129
Shirley Fishman, MFA
Coordinator: Barbara Leondar
The La Jolla Playhouse has a treasured history of
developing new plays and musicals, many of which
have gone on to Broadway with national and
international acclaim. This year the Playhouse has
embarked on a new initiative — Winter of New Work
— to present barebones workshops and readings of
exciting new plays and musicals written by a diverse
range of established and emerging writers who have
interesting, provocative, and entertaining stories
to tell. Shirley Fishman, resident dramaturg at the
Playhouse, along with guest artists from the Winter
of New Work series, will discuss how the Playhouse
finds, chooses, and develops new work.
January 11
This class will present an overview of the Playhouse’s
history of commissioning and developing new plays
and musicals from its earliest days to the present.
January 25
The education and outreach wing of the Playhouse
will introduce its 2013 POP Tour, which annually
visits San Diego elementary schools, reaching 14,000
students in grades 2 through 8. A special guest will
be Ernie Nolan, playwright of The Lonely Boy’s Guide
to Survival and Werewolves.
February 8
This lecture will provide an overview of the first
Winter of New Work musical-in-development, to be
directed by Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director of
the Playhouse.
February 22
Two new plays scheduled for workshop production
at the Playhouse will be introduced, as will five new
plays planned for one-time-only presentation.
March 8
The Playhouse’s Without Walls will be introduced.
Planned for next October, this unique festival will
feature site-specific projects at locations in and
around La Jolla developed by regional, national, and
international artists.
Director of Play Development and Resident
Dramaturg, Shirley Fishman earned an MFA degree
from Columbia University’s Theatre Program. Before
joining the La Jolla Playhouse, she served as co-curator
and dramaturg at New York’s Public Theater. Among
her other credits are creative advisor/dramaturg at the
Sundance Theater Lab; dramaturg, Native Voices at
the Autry; and dramaturg, UC San Diego Baldwin Play
Festival. She writes a monthly blog, Behind the Red
Curtain: Backstage at the La Jolla Playhouse.
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