Classes
BODY HORROR: Reclaiming Joy in Narratives of Fear
Ages 18 and up
April 8–29, 2024
6–8pm, Mondays
Radek Ladczuk, The Babadook
Instructor
Riley McCarthy
Room
201
Pricing
$250
Dates
8-29 April
BODY HORROR: Reclaiming Joy in Narratives of Fear is a generative 4-week workshop focused on the creation of an original horror script for the stage, with keen attention to the lived experiences of queer characters in this genre. As a cohort, we will investigate where theater has failed to capture horror, where it has succeeded, and how to overcome the tragedy of "camp" to create horror that is exciting, spine-tingling, and humanizing for our desired protagonists. An exercise in identity, euphoria, juxtaposed with what goes bump in the night, participants will generate a rough draft of a new stage play.
BODY HORROR will be held in-person at the Abrons Arts Center.
For a longer course description, please visit The School of Making Thinking’s page.
About Riley McCarthy
Riley Elton McCarthy (they/he) is an award winning, critically acclaimed nonbinary playwright and instructor of theatre currently pursuing their MFA in Playwriting at Rutgers. Their community-based practice includes interrogation of self, subversion of societal-based expectation, and the breaking of unspoken "rules" to create a more equitable and considerate new future for theatre-making. Riley has been produced off-broadway, in Edinburgh, Copenhagen, and London, and guest lectures on horror theatre in colleges across America. Profiled by TimeOut Miami as a "must-see" emerging playwright, Riley has been hailed as a "vanguard figure of socially conscious theatre" (CPH Post), and "the most original voice in horror since Mike Flanagan" (The Scotsman). More than anything, Riley believes that theatre is a tool for empathy and healing, and strives to represent that best in their theatre spaces. rileyeltonmccarthy.com
General Information
This class is curated in partnership with The School of Making Thinking.
Tuition Assistance
Abrons offers tuition assistance to any student whose household makes under $50,000 annually. Through our NYCHA Arts Initiative, classes are FREE for all NYCHA residents living in zip codes 10002, 10003, 10009, and 10038.
For courses offered in partnership with the School of Making Thinking, we also offer a sliding scale for Black People, Indigenous People, and People of Color.