Morgan J. Simon
Writing
OU Theatrical Writing Initiative
Co-Founder, Chief Editor
In January of 2020 (poor timing, I know), a classmate and I were discussing the need for a student-run organization in the School of Drama that could allow students to work closely with a trusted group of peers to develop each other's writing. With focuses in theatrical criticism, journalism, academic essays, and playwriting, TWI is approaching its third year of developing student writing within the OU School of Drama.
My writing with the Theatrical Writing Initiative has included "The University of Oklahoma Design Students on the Future of Theatre," an article I co-wrote which was published in The Scenographer magazine in March 2021, and "A Recent History of Theatre Closures," an essay I co-wrote in the early weeks of the pandemic. As Chief Editor of TWI, I work closely with other writers to revise their work and lead group editing sessions. I have additionally participated in several early-draft play readings and feedback sessions with student playwrights in TWI.
Public Comment
Co-Writer/Deviser
Public Comment began as a project for my Theatre and Social Change class at OU in March of 2021. Three classmates and I set out to create a documentary theatre play in the style of Anna Deavere Smith's verbatim theatre about local political debates around police funding. We conducted interviews with Norman residents and drew on archival videos of Norman City Council meetings for the play's content. After an initial showcase in May 2021, a second draft was created for a short run with Co.llective Arts Productions in July 2021.
Public Comment was later selected for the Theatre Crude Fringe Festival in Oklahoma City. In transplanting the play from Norman to Oklahoma City, we found that extra context was needed for audiences to understand the relationships between people depicted in the play. In September 2021, we departed from the fully-verbatim style of the play and added a narrator to introduce new settings and characters. The final draft of Public Comment runs for 30 minutes and has a cast of 5 actors.
30 Second Plays
Co-Writer/Deviser
Quick, crude and campy, 30 Second Plays is an annual ultra-short sketch comedy show at the University of Oklahoma. The show contains 80 sketches, ranging in length from 5 seconds to 3 minutes.
I have worked on two productions productions of 30 Second Plays: 30SP The Musical, and 30SP: Don't Call It a Comeback.
