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In January of 2003 and February of 2004, the accomplished writer and director Andy Wolk (C'70) visited the Writers House and led three-day Symposiums on Screenwriting and Directing. The Symposiums, the first of their kind at Penn, struck heretofore untapped veins of creativity on campus, evidenced by overflowing audiences and lengthy Q and A sessions. We are pleased to announce that Wolk will return to the Writers House in December of 2005 to lead a third Screenwriting and Directing Symposium. The Symposium has two basic components.
The first component is open to writers affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania who submit a manuscript of an original screenplay. Based on the manuscripts received, four writers will be selected to participate in a series of seminars with Wolk. The "Wolk Seminars," spread out over three days, will include close readings of manuscript with actors, revisions and critical analysis of manuscript, and one-on-one consultations with Wolk. To learn more about submission guidelines, click here.
The second component - two programs relating to Screenwriting and Directing held over two nights - are open to the public. For more information on these RSVP-only programs, click here
The four symposium participants meet with Andy Wolk for an introductory session, followed by long individual sessions for two of the participants. (If you would like to submit an application to be one of the participants, please write to whwolk@writing.upenn.edu.)
(EVENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC)
Mr. Wolk leads a seminar on how to think about working with a
camera and with words. This session will include interactive writing and directing
exercises.
The four symposium participants meet again with Andy Wolk for a brief follow-up session, followed by long individual sessions for two of the participants.
(EVENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC)
The Writers House Alumni Writers Series
presents Andy Wolk, screenwriter and director.
A discussion of (as Mr. Wolk puts it) "nuts-and-bolts issues of
writing a screenplay--structure, dialogue, story, etc." The
program will include, as well, an selected and informal presentation of
Mr. Wolk's work as a screenwriter and director
(including, perhaps, excerpts from The Sopranos, Criminal
Justice, and other features). The program will be moderated by Writers
House Faculty Director, Al Filreis.
Meeting for the four lab participants.
Andy Wolk most recently directed Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story for Lifetime which he also wrote. Mr. Wolk also wrote and directed the much-lauded HBO drama Criminal Justice which made Time Magazine's "Ten Best" List. Starring Forest Whitaker, Anthony LaPaglia and Rosie Perez, Criminal Justice also received the Silver Prize at FIPA in Cannes. Other credits include writing and directing Deliberate Intent, the critically praised 1st movie ever for FX. Starring Timothy Hutton, the LA Times called it "taut, smart, provocative, well-acted and suspensefully directed." For both Criminal Justice and Deliberate Intent Mr. Wolk was nominated for the Writer's Guild Award and he won the Writer's Guild Award for Natica Jackson on PBS which starred Michelle Pfeiffer. He also just received the Humanitas Award for directing the "Final Judgement" episode of The Practice. Also, for that episode, Alfre Woodard received the Emmy Award.
Mr. Wolk has also directed 4 hit CBS Christmas movies. Other TV movies include writing and directing The Defenders: Payback, Choice of Evils and Taking the First, three highly-rated movies for Paramount and Showtime starring Beau Bridges and E.G. Marshall and based on the classic 60s show, plus Mr. Rock 'n' Roll, Pizza My Heart, Alibi, All Lies End In Murder, and Kiss and Tell. Mr. Wolk directed the pilot of the long-running HBO hit ARLISS along with numerous episodes of shows such as The Sopranos, The Practice, Without A Trace, NYPD Blue, Criminal Minds, Numbers, Tales From The Crypt, The Guardian, Crossing Jordan, Dragnet, Equal Justice and others.
Other writing credits include HBO's Emmy-winning From the Earth to the Moon, produced by Tom Hanks, and the award-winning Tales From the Crypt starring Demi Moore.
Mr. Wolk's career started in the theater in New York City. Under the auspices of Lincoln Center he directed two Shakespeare plays, Twelfth Night and The Winter's Tale, each of which enjoyed successful off-Broadway runs. He has had plays produced as a writer and/or director at theaters such as Manhattan Theatre Club (where he worked on staff for five years), LaMama, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and on tour through Europe with the company Camera Obscura, which he co-founded while a graduate student in Drama at Carnegie-Mellon University. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Pennsylvania which awarded him a Thouron Scholarship. This three-day symposium is modeled on the Sundance Labs.