In the fall semester of 2023, Dr. Truett taught “Introduction to Playwriting” in the Department of Theatre and New Dance, Cal Poly Pomona. In this class, students learn how to imagine, create, and complete a short play or performance piece using the building blocks of Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama. Class exercises also expand the discussion of dramatic structure beyond the standard Western dramatic structure (Freytag’s pyramid), engaging young writers in other narrative forms (circular, episodic, non-linear, etc.) and performance possibilities (physical theatre, site-specific, technology-based performances, etc.) After completing rough drafts, student work is read and discussed in class using Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process. By the end of the class, each student has created a short play from 10 to 45 pages.

In spring 2024, ten student playwrights were selected to have their work developed further by an ensemble of students enrolled in a class that ultimately produced the CPP 2024 Festival of New Student Plays, directed, designed, and performed by CPP students. Student original plays received readings and dramaturgical support from the performance ensemble under the guidance of Dr. Truett. At the end of the semester, the ensemble premiered seven full productions and three staged readings performed over three days of the festival. Please see the links on this site’s homepage for the individual productions; some festival images are included below.

CPP Festival of New Student Plays with Festival Director and Producer Dr. Joshua L. Truett