Michael Kinghorn
- Stage & Screen Mentor
- MFA in Writing
Additional Information
Biography
MICHAEL KINGHORN has spent the bulk of his career writing and developing new plays. He has led the literary departments of three regional theaters: the Guthrie, Arena Stage and the Alliance Theatre. As a freelance dramaturg, Michael has consulted on hundreds of plays at numerous institutions, including The Great Plains Theatre Conference, The Playwrights' Center (including PlayLabs), The Kennedy Center, Studio Arena Theatre, Theatre Emory, Horizon Theatre (Atlanta), History Theatre (St. Paul) and Off-Broadway for Ideal Entertainment, Inc. Michael was a 1984 Jerome Playwriting Fellow at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. His original plays include: The Nudge, Calling Doctor Kildare, P.G., Limited Partnership, Personal Surveillance, and The Meanwhile Figure. His adaptation of the "lost" Sophie Treadwell play, Intimations for Saxophone, premiered at Arena Stage in 2005. Michael has taught playwriting and screen writing at Saint Cloud State University (MN), playwriting at the University of Minnesota and creative writing at the National American University in Bloomington, MN. Michael holds the BFA degree in theater from the University of North Dakota and an MFA in Dramaturgy from the Yale School of Drama. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA, where he is currently turning his attention to writing for television.
Teaching Philosophy
“My approach to teaching playwriting is a straightforward one. I help students develop a methodology for learning to write their own kind of plays and prepare them for the collaborative process. While I can't teach students how to write a box-office success, I can direct their theatrical instincts, advise them on craft and technique and suggest strategies for improvement. As a new play professional, I employ a holistic approach to mentoring playwrights, based on the kind of collaboration that happens in professional new play development today. In recent years, I have enlarged my pedagogical toolbox to include television and film.”
