[Capdist-announce] Free Artist-Led Writing Workshops at Ancram Opera House, July 6 & 8

[Lauren Letellier]

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*Free Artist-Led Workshops on July 6th and July 8th at Ancram Opera House*



*Summer Play Lab Residents Emily Rubin and Seth McNeill will conduct *

*writing workshops for area residents*



Ancram Opera House will offer two writing workshops led by Summer Play Lab
artists Emily Rubin (*Cancer Cabaret*) and Seth McNeill (*Bullet*). The
workshops are free, but space is limited, and registration is required. To
participate, visit ancramoperahouse.org/workshops.



First up, on July 6, 3-5pm, is “The Write Treatment Workshop,” developed by
writer Emily Rubin as a way of giving back to Mount Sinai Medical Center
after she completed treatment for breast cancer there in 2011. This
workshop engages cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers in the craft of
writing as a creative and therapeutic practice. To this day, The Write
Treatment Workshop continues to be offered to cancer patients at Mount
Sinai Hospital where, according to Alison Snow, Mount Sinai’s Assistant
Director of Cancer Supportive Services, it is “the most successful program
of all the programs the hospital offers.”

Rubin will share her story of cancer and writing, as well as excerpts from
the *Write Treatment Anthology Vol. 1*, a publication assembled from the
writings of Mount Sinai cancer patients. Workshop participants will write
from a prompt and share what they have written with the group.



On July 8th, 10am-12pm, playwright and theater artist Seth McNeill will
demonstrate, through free-writing exercises, discussion, and sharing of
work, how the interruptions and self-contradictions in normal conversations
and stream of consciousness can, when captured on paper, resemble an
absurdist play. In this workshop, called “MONODIALOGUE,” participants will
construct delightful self-dialogues that reveal character in ways that a
perfectly crafted monologue never could.



Ancram Opera House’s 2023 Play Lab Residency Program showcases innovative
works-in-progress that challenge conventions and offer unique perspectives
on the human experience.  A double bill of Rubin and McNeill’s
works-in-progress will be presented on July 9 at 4pm, live at the Ancram
Opera House. These works-in-development are:



*Bullet** by Seth McNeill:* Delve into the depth of a solo play
deconstructed through a hilariously failed TED talk. This thought-provoking
piece unravels themes of depression, isolation, family trauma, and the
internal struggle of artists finding their place in the world.



*Cancer Cabaret** by Emily Rubin, Maryann DeLeo, and Christine Koenig, with
music by Michael Ingle: *Experience the transformative power of musical
theatre as these artists, who are also cancer survivors, interpret life’s
difficult moments and triumphs through song and storytelling.



Ancram Opera House is an award-winning theater located in New York’s Hudson
Valley. Housed in an historic Grange Hall, AOH has since 2016 presented
groundbreaking theater and musical performances by nationally recognized
theater artists. AOH receives significant annual support from the New York
State Council on the Arts and in 2023 was awarded a generous grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts. As part of its mission to foster community
connection through the performing arts, AOH conducts storytelling workshops
for local adults and children in area schools.  www.ancramoperahouse.org.



Lauren Letellier
laurenletellier at gmail.com
M: 917-747-5250
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