The Pharr Theater Company will host screenwriting classes for ages 18 and older from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays this month through Zoom.
Classes run through Nov. 26, with 10 spaces per class, and only the first 10 students who register will be allowed to attend. Registration is $60 and is available at the theater’s Eventbrite page.
Students can develop their skills in plotting stories, building themes, developing scenes, crafting characters and formatting scripts during the classes, according to the theater’s Eventbrite page.
Classes will be taught by Robert Longoria, who graduated from legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American with a bachelor’s degree in English. He earned a master’s in English with a concentration in rhetoric, composition and literacy studies from UTRGV. Longoria is a freelance Rio Grande Valley screenwriter and producer who has written short films, such as “The Hunt,” directed by Johnny Hernandez, and “The Monster.”
Longoria said one thing he loves about being an instructor at the community theater is that he brings “welcomed experience to the forefront” for beginning screenwriters.
“I had such a strong interest as a teenager looking to learn about the craft of screenwriting,” he said. “I started in plays, but on the side, I would always write my own little scripts. Not a lot of people know organically how to tell a story and how to put it on the ‘big screen.’ A big part of what our classes are, here at PCT, are how to develop a story from its most basic level.”
Longoria welcomes those who have just sparked their interest in screenwriting to join the classes.
“Whether you know a lot or little to nothing about screenwriting, hopefully, we can develop those skills, and, hopefully, after, these students continue to write more scripts down the line,” he said. “If I can do one thing with any beginning writer that enters this class, I hope to give them the tools and support their confidence to make their scripts into something real.”
Pedro Garcia, an acting instructor at the theater, said the art of good writing is rewriting over and over again.
“From experience, I understand that not every first draft is where you hit gold,” Garcia said. “I once took eight years to write a screenplay, and after 13 rewrites, I finally felt ready to [commit] to my script. Sometimes, the work that you come up with just needs to be polished a little bit to make it shine.”
In addition to screenwriting workshops for adults and teens, there will also be acting workshops for kids and teens starting at $60 per student. These classes will be taught by Garcia, who has 30 years of experience in the industry and has starred in shows such as “Breaking Bad.”
Longoria said these acting workshops can also be beneficial for aspiring screenwriters as well.
“So many times, as writers, we’re so stuck in our own world that we’re trying to create,” he said. “By putting ourselves outside of that world and into another character, it allows for fresher ideas to be produced.”
In these classes, students will review selected scenes as they continue writing their own stories while also integrating the lessons from each class into building their stories. In addition, they will be reviewing short films and analyzing the different parts of a scene that should be considered while writing a screenplay.
For more information about the upcoming classes or future events at the Pharr Community Theater Company, visit its Facebook or Eventbrite pages.
