Home Playwriting Teaching Curriculum Vitae Contact

GREGORY L. FARBER


Education
            Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing, with emphasis in Playwriting, Theatre/English departments.  Arizona State University, Tempe, 

            Arizona.  May 2007.

                        Thesis play: Bottom Line

                        Committee Members: Guillermo Reyes, Chair; Tamara Underiner, Jeff McMahon

            Bachelor of Arts, English.  Minor, Business Studies.  Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts.  December 2002, magna cum laude.  

                        Honor’s Thesis: “Dystopian Ideal, Utopian Nightmare”



Teaching Experience
            Adjunct Instructor, Department of English, Bentley College.  2007-Present.

                        Expository Writing 101  EXP 101 (1 section)
                                   Designed a composition course around the theme of personal and societal change which asked the students to learn     

                                   various modes of writing.  Chose the topic and texts for the class while creating a syllabus and appropriate assignments.  

                                   Designed the course to progressively challenge students to read, think, and write more complexly and critically.  Individual 

                                   student conferences and office hours allowed for personal, one-on-one interaction to ensure student progress.       
                        Expository Writing 201  EXP 201 (1 section)
                                   Crafted a composition course exploring the theme of technology in society while developing the skills learned in EXP 

                                   101.  Asked students to further their critical writing and thinking skills by developing and articulating complex 

                                   arguments and analyses.  Created a syllabus and assignments that culminated in a significant research project allowing 

                                   students to hone their research abilities.  Held conferences and office hours to allow students personal interaction and to 

                                   keep track of their individual progress.

            Teaching Fellow, School of Theatre and Film, Arizona State University.  2005-2007.
                        Introduction to Playwriting  THP 261 / ENG 210 (3 sections)
                                   Independently designed and taught course as teacher of record.  Created course syllabus based on a workshop process
                                   allowing students to hear their own works aloud and receive feedback from peers.  Delivered lectures on the various tools used
                                   in creating plays, such as format, structure, and character.  Developed in-class exercises to give students the opportunity to
                                   work collaboratively on these tools.  Created assignments that furthered students’ understanding of these tools as well as the
                                   ability to synthesize them into a single work.  Held individual student conferences and office hours.
                       Introduction to Screenwriting  THP 261 / ENG 210 (1 section)
                                   Solely responsible for creation and implementation of course.  Designed syllabus to include lectures about the various essential
                                   aspects of writing a screenplay, including structure, character development, and dialogue.  Also held discussions concerning
                                   the business of screenwriting, which covered topics such as industry positions, studio structure, and film production. 
                                   Assignments allowed students to work towards writing a short screenplay, develop the structure of a feature-length, and
                                   workshop their writing to get class feedback.

            Writing Teacher, 4 Star Academic Summer Camp, Charlottesville, Virginia.  2006.
                       Essay Writing (6 two-week sections)        
                                   Created a two-week course for high school students looking to continue their education over the summer.  Class was based
                                   around writing a college-application essay with discussions of other forms of essays.  Focus on the personal essay allowed for
                                   lectures on and discussions of format, structure, argument, and examples.  Assignments included reading and analyzing essays
                                   and developing an outline for a final essay.
                       Creative Writing: including scriptwriting, poetry, fiction (3 two-week sections)
                                   Designed a flexible two-week course to allow students to work in the genres of creative writing in which they were most
                                   interested.  Students read and analyzed works of poetry, fiction and drama.  In-class exercises used images and fictitious
                                   scenarios to stimulate student thought and writing.  Exercises included collaborative and independent writing.  The final project
                                   was a work of short fiction or drama or a series of poems.

           Teaching Assistant, Department of Theatre/Department of English, Arizona State University.  2004-2007.
                       Introduction to Screenwriting  THP 261 / ENG 210 (2 discussion sections)
                                   Held a weekly discussion section to further understanding of specific topics.  Delivered lectures focusing on the business
                                   aspects of screenwriting.  In-class exercises included rewriting scenes and developing pitches.  Graded assignments and held
                                   workshop and discussion sessions covering the development process, beat sheets, treatments, and writing screenplays. Held
                                   weekly office hours.
                      Introduction to Playwriting  THP 260 / ENG 210 (1 section)
                                   Co-taught class with a workshop focus.  Divided class into two sections, held discussions and workshops for one section
                                   throughout the semester.  Assigned monologues and a ten-minute play, which were ultimately performed for the entire class. 
                                   Graded assignments and delivered lectures to entire class about character development and exposition.
                      The Writer’s Journey  THP 498/598 / ENG 498/598 (1 section)
                                   Assisted instructor of record for class focused on the development of story based on the ideas of Christopher Vogler and
                                   Joseph Campbell.  Graded creative and critical writing assignments.  Delivered lectures on creating a story, developing an idea,
                                   and adaptation.  Led discussions of Ovid’s tale of Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, and Alan Jay Lerner
                                   and Frederick Lowe’s musical My Fair Lady.

            Writing Tutor, Writing Center, Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts.  2000-2002.  
                                   Provided assistance to students in all aspects of writing.  Held one-on-one sessions with students in all disciplines, helping with
                                   a variety of writing forms and topics, including essays, creative writing, and technical writing.  Students included ESOL,
                                   remedial, and advanced.  Assisted in evaluation and development of training for new tutors by creating and testing exercises
                                   and workshops.

            Teaching Assistant, Department of English, Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts.  2002.
                      Expository Writing EXP101L    
                                   Co-developed syllabus with a content focus on colonization.  Readings were based on two main texts: Adam Hochschild’s
                                   King Leopold’s Ghost and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.  Held in-class discussions concerning issues of writing critical
                                   essays with a focus on global issues of structure and argument.  Led workshops and peer-editing sessions to allow students to
                                   read and comment on each other’s work.  Graded, evaluated, and commented on student work.  Assignments included
                                   exercises, longer essays, and ultimately a fully realized and revised essay synthesizing the writing skills developed over the
                                   course of the semester.            

            Co-Facilitator, First Year Programs, Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts.  2002.
                      Freshman Seminar
                                   Created weekly lesson plans based on issues of importance to incoming freshmen, including alcohol use, academic honesty,
                                   and time management.  Delivered lectures and led discussion on these issues, while allowing students to discuss developing
                                   concerns of questions as they acclimated to the college environment.  Graded assignments such as journal entries and reaction
                                   papers, which allowed students to write reflectively about matters in which they were interested.    

            ESOL Microsoft Excel Tutor, Waltham, Massachusetts, Spring 2002.  
                                   Volunteered to teach adult ESOL students how to use MS Excel.  Helped students learn technology and business related
                                   English words and phrases.  Tutored students in the use of computers for business and professional activities.


Teaching and Research Interests
            Playwriting
            Screenwriting
            Contemporary dramatic literature
            Experimental theatre
            Shakespeare
            Composition/expository writing



Productions

            Bottom Line, full-length play
                        MFA staged reading series, Arizona State University, April 2007.
            “Statement,” ten-minute play
                        Insomnia and Sunglasses, Playwrights on Campus evening of ten-minute plays, Arizona State University, February 2007.
            “Jesus on the High Seas,” ten-minute musical, co-written with Jeremiah Clay
                        24-Hour Play Festival, Playwrights on Campus, Arizona State University, January 2007.
            Bottom Line, full-length play
                        staged reading, Festival of New Work, Arizona State University, November 2006.
            “Journalistic Integrity,” one-act play
                        Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo, Playwrights on Campus evening of one-act plays, Arizona State University, October 2006.
            “Penury Penitentiary,” ten-minute play
                        Gardner-Webb University Festival of New Work, Boiling Springs, North Carolina, April 2006.
            Broken Memories, full-length play
                        MFA staged reading series, Arizona State University, April 2006.  

            Taking Leave, full-length play
                        Arizona State University’s Mainstage season, November 2005.
           
Unlucky Little Lamb, one-act play
                        Festival of New Work, Firehouse Center for the Arts, Newburyport, Massachusetts, September 2005.
            “Penury Penitentiary,” ten-minute play
                        Five of a Kind, ten-minute play festival, Arizona State University, October 2005.
            Taking Leave, full-length play
                        MFA staged reading series, Arizona State University, April 2005.
            “Simon Says,” one-act play
                        workshop production, Arizona State University, March 2005.
            “No Place Like Home,” ten-minute play
                        workshop production, Arizona State University, February 2005.
            “The Following is a Paid Presentation,” ten-minute play
                        Teatro Caliente festival, Theatre in My Basement, Phoenix, Arizona, October 2004.
            “The Following is a Paid Presentation,” ten-minute play
                        Gods, Guns, and Gynecologists ten-minute play festival, Arizona State University, October 2004.
           
The Salesman’s Son, one-act play
                        Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts, February 2003.        


Publications/Exhibits
            “Wherever Home Is,” poem/print exhibited

                        Arizona State University’s STEP gallery.  Developed as a collaboration among photographer Tracy Longley-Cook, poet Katherine

                        Larsen, and myself as part of Visual Text 2: Connection project, February 2006.

            “Playwrights’ News,” online publication 

                        Chronicle of Arizona State University alumni productions and news, 2005.

            “Central Artery,” poem/print exhibited

                        Arizona State University’s Harry Wood gallery.   Developed as a collaboration between sculptor Alison Young and myself as part of

                        the inaugural Visual Text: Transformation project, January 2005.

            “Shoot,” poem 

                        Published in Piecework, Bentley College literary magazine, April 2002.


Production-related Experience

            Co-producer of Insomnia and Sunglasses, ten-minute play festival.  Managed budget, designed and distributed publicity, organized 

                        rehearsal and performance space, and worked with playwrights, directors, and designers to coordinate all aspects of production. 

                        February 2007.
            Co-producer of 24-Hour Play Festival.  Gathered and organized over 50 theatre artists to produce short plays in 24 hours.  Coordinated 

                        rehearsal times and spaces as well as designed, organized and distributed publicity.  January 2007.
            Co-producer of Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo, evening of one-act plays.  Organized directors, playwrights, designers for the plays.  Scheduled 

                        space, rehearsals, and performances as well as publicized the event and managed the event’s budget.  October 2006.
            Assistant Dramaturg for La Vida Loca in Arizona State University’s Mainstage Festival of New Work.  Helped edit final draft of play, 

                        helped give critical feedback on script, assisted in cultural research for use by designers.  November 2006.
            Producer of Five of a Kind, ten-minute play festival.  Organized all aspects of production of festival, including finding directors, 

                        scheduling performances and rehearsals, and developing publicity.  October 2006.
            Organizer of MFA Playwrights Staged Reading Series.  Organized staged readings for six new works.  April 2006.
            Producer of Gods, Guns, and Gynecologists, ten-minute play festival.  Organized all facets of production, including recruiting directors, 

                        scheduling performances and rehearsals, and designing and distributing publicity.  October 2005.



Grants
            Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, Arizona State University, funding awarded for Playwrights on Campus production of one-act
                        plays.  Fall 2006.
            Division of Graduate Studies Travel Grant, for expenses associated with representation at the Firehouse Center for the Arts production of
                        "Unlucky Little Lamb."  September 2005.


Service

            Capstone mentor for undergraduate playwright. 
                        Served as a mentor for a graduating senior as he completed a full-length play as his final project at Arizona State University. 
                        Spring 2007.
            Graduate and Professional Studies Association Grant Reviewer.  Fall 2006.
            Capstone mentor for undergraduate playwright. 
                        Mentored a graduating senior in the School of Theatre and Film as he completed a one-act play for his final project.  Spring 2006.
   

Professional Experience
            Co-founder/Vice President of Playwrights on Campus, Arizona State University, 2006-2007.
                        Founded an organization which allows students of all levels to experience productions, readings, and discussions of their plays. 
                        Promoted the organization and its productions.  Responsible for writing grants and securing funding. 
                        Managed finances and budgets for the organization in the short-term while creating a long-term organizational model which allows
                        for the continual transition of leadership and consistent revenue streams. Developed mutually beneficial relationships with other local
                        theatrical organizations, both on- and off-campus.  Helped choose, schedule, and organize a season of three to four productions,
                        including securing space, equipment, and funds as well as directiors, designers, actors, stage managers, and crew.
            Reader/Judge, Arizona Playwrights’ Competition, 2005.  
                        Read, summarized, and commented on submitted plays for the contest as part of a group of readers and judges, ultimately resulting in
                        one winner.
            Proofreader, Curriculum Associates, Billerica, Massachusetts, 2003.
                        Edited and proofread educational books, pamphlets, and other materials for style, content, grammar, and punctuation.
            Brief Editor, CCBN, Boston, Massachusetts, 2003.
                        Edited, for style and content, financial briefs to be posted on companies’ websites.


Distinctions
            Virginia G. Piper Fellowship in New Play Development for Bottom Line
            KCACTF Meritorious Achievement Award for Playwriting for Bottom Line
            Arizona State University Teaching Fellow
            Bentley College Trustee’s Scholar
            Bentley College Honors Program

Professional Development
            Preparing Future Faculty Program, Arizona State University: A one-year series of seminars dealing with issues of teaching at the university
                        level, 2005 – 2006.
            Course & Syllabus Design Workshop: Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence, Arizona State University.  September 2006.
            Outstanding TA Panel: Division of Graduate Studies Strategies for Success, Arizona State University, April 2006.
            Using Humor in Teaching Workshop: Preparing Future Faculty, Arizona State University, March 2006.  
            Academic and Artistic Freedom in the University workshop,  Preparing Future Faculty, Arizona State University, November 2005.
            Peer Review in Expository Writing Workshop: Bentley College English Department, Bentley College, October 2001.


Professional Affiliations

Dramatists Guild

Playwrights Center, Minneapolis


References

References will be provided upon request.