Disability Arts Week is a celebration of artists with disabilities and their important and unique contributions to the art world. All workshops are specifically designed to be accessible to neurodiverse folks and folks with intellectual disabilities. All are welcomed and encouraged in this space. We welcome folks of all abilities, of all life experiences, literacy levels and verbal as well as non-verbal communicators. If you don't identify as having a disability you are also welcome. Recommended for ages 13+
Dave Osmundsen (He/Him/His) is an autistic playwright and dramaturg whose work explores the intersections of queerness and neurodiversity. His work has been seen and developed at KCACTF Region 8, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, and more. His play Light Switch was the 2021 Distinguished Achievement recipient of the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award. It was an Honorable Mention finalist for BAPF 2021, longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, a finalist for the 2020 Carlo Annoni Playwriting Prize, and a semi-finalist for the 2020 National Playwrights Conference. His one-act, A Firework Unexploded, was a semi-finalist for the NYC Audio Theatre Writing Contest and was produced by Pint-Sized in London. His plays have been published by The Dionysian, Canyon Voices, and The Exposition Review. He is a resident playwright with Spectrum Theatre Ensemble, a neurodiverse theatre company based in Providence, RI. MFA: Arizona State University
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
If you're a neurodivergent playwright, you may have asked these questions: How do I approach agents and literary managers? How do I build relationships with theaters? How do I network? How do I get my work out there? In this workshop, Dave Osmundsen, a neurodivergent playwright himself, will draw on his experience working in literary management and playwriting to provide pro-tips, advice, and methods for neurodivergent playwrights to get their work seen by theaters and agents alike.