Create stories that can be shared across all entertainment mediums

Use improv and playwriting skills to influence and shape the world of content creation
The Content Creation and Scriptwriting Summer Institute is a two-week, UC credit-bearing intensive program for students interested in writing for the web, film and theater. This program provides opportunities to work with our distinguished faculty in classes such as webisode writing, screenwriting, playwriting, improv, and sketch comedy. The combination of these courses will allow students to use their training to create stories that can be shared across all entertainment mediums. Students will learn the technical components of writing for the web, stage and the screen while gaining hands-on experience in developing and completing three short form writing samples. Beyond the classroom, students will attend guest workshops and learn the art of collaboration.
The program is designed for artists and students who seek additional discipline and training required for participation in a university theater program or a career in the entertainment industry.
Content Creation & Scriptwriting Summer Institute – Program Overview
The Content Creation and Scriptwriting Summer Institute is a two-week, UC credit-bearing intensive program for students interested in writing for the web, film and theater. This program provides opportunities to work with our distinguished faculty in classes such as web writing, screenwriting, playwriting, improv, and sketch comedy. The combination of these courses will allow students to use their training to create stories that can be shared across all entertainment mediums. Students will learn the technical components of writing for the web, stage and the screen while gaining hands-on experience in developing and completing three short form writing samples.
Students will go on field trips and attend master class workshops with entertainment professionals.
Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:
- In 400 words, why are you interested in content creation and scriptwriting and what do you hope to gain?
- A resume (if you do not have a resume, submit a brief description of your theatrical and/or artistic experience).
The resume can be uploaded as a word or pdf file during the application process.
UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support
Qualified students attending grades 8th – 11th in Spring 2023 in the state of California may be eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in SCIP/eSCIP, one Summer Course, or a Precollege Summer Institute.
Summer 2023 deadline to apply: March 15.
Students will receive a letter grade upon completion. See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.
As a commuter program, there is NO on-campus housing available for the Content Creation & Scriptwriting Summer Institute.
Participants of the Content Creation & Scriptwriting Summer Institute must commute to the UCLA campus each day of the program. Specific location information (e.g. classroom) will be provided to enrolled students closer to the start of the program.
Parking:
Summer Sessions parking permits will be available beginning May 30 on a first-come, first-served basis. Students have the option to purchase a summer term permit or a daily permit.
Please review the Transportation and Parking Services web page and read the “Summer Quarter Parking (All Students)” section for more information on all permit types, including cost.
Program Dates: July 9, 2023 – July 21, 2023
Program Type: Admission based/ In-person
Program Eligibility: 9th-12th grade in Spring 2023 & Ages 14-17
UCLA Coursework: Theater 30; 4 units
Application deadline: June 1, 2023
Enrollment deadline: June 15, 2023
The schedule and syllabus are subject to change. Enrolled students will be given updated materials closer to the program start date.
Fees and Payment Info
The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer. This is a summary of fees that commonly apply to the selected student type.
Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California. Visit the fees, payment, and financial aid section for important disclaimer, as well as more details on fees, payment instructions, and information on delinquency, refunds, and financial aid.
Meet your instructors
Patrick Hurley
InstructorPatrick Hurley graduated from UCLA with his MFA in playwriting. The first part of his Queer Tetralogy On a Queer Day was a Semi-Finalist for The Eugene O’Neill playwrights conference in 2018. His play The Winds of Ariston was part of UCLA’s 2017 New Play Festival. In 2018, his serialized play #instagay had twelve episodes at Sacred Fools Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2016, his play My Play’s Last Scene was part of the Marianne Murphy Staged Reading Series. That same year his One Act Indigo at Midnight was part of the Francis Ford Coppola One Act Play Festival. He worked as a Stage Manager for Francis Ford Coppola on his live television project Distant Vision. He has taught playwriting at UCLA, has been a dramaturg and literary assistant for The Theatre @ Boston Court in Los Angeles, and was the head writer for the 2018 Los Angeles Ovation Awards Ceremony. He is a two-time recipient of the George Burns/Grace Allen Fellowship for Comedy.
David Kepner
InstructorDavid Kepner is an LA-based actor, holding a Master’s in Acting from UCLA and a Bachelor’s in Theater & Secondary Education from Boise State University. David is an avid actor and filmmaker earning most of his experience from theater, film, and original comedic shorts. His micro-short film and directorial debut, Georganne.MOV, won Best Mockumentary Micro-Film at the Portland Comedy Film Festival (2020). David also received the Silver Tripod/Best Story award for my short film, MICNIC, at Campus MovieFest (2019). He also performed in numerous plays, recently playing as the titular role in Aphra Behn’s The Rover at the historic Freud Playhouse (2020). David continues to display his acting abilities in original sketch comedies and other performative projects that come his way. When he’s not working, he loves to play video games, order take-out, get scratched by his cat, and to leisurely ride his motorcycle around town to prove that he owns the ultimate form of transportation.
Annette Lee
ProfessorAnnette Lee began her artistic life as an actor in New York before returning to her native Los Angeles as a playwright. Her plays have been performed and read in Los Angeles, New York, Colorado, Portland, and Chicago. She has written for radio, mono-drama, site-specific projects and has served as a dramaturge for Artists at Play, USC School of Dramatic Arts and its Master of Professional Writing Program. A recipient of the Mickey Dude Fellowship for the Depiction of Ethnic Life in America and the Edna & Yushan Han Scholarship, she holds an MFA in Playwriting from UCLA, has taught writing at UCLA and East West Players. She has written with The Vagrancy and the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. Formerly, as the Literary Manager for Los Angeles’, Playwrights’ Arena, she curated seven seasons of the New Pages Lab Reading series, a program developing new works for the stage by Los Angeles playwrights, which have been seen and heard across the country.
Michael Bauer
LecturerMichael Bauer is a comedy writer, producer and actor with a strong background in clown performance. He earned his BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and his MFA for UCLA. Michael is the co-founder of the theater company Loom Ensemble, as well as the circus company Svindelic Circus Troupe. He has produced numerous award winning comedy films, and published several children’s plays. Today Michael works as a show runner for a children’s streaming series, an audio book narrator and an acting teacher whenever the opportunity arises.
Ryan Fogle
LecturerRyan Fogle is a screenwriter who’s worked on assignment having written multiple feature screenplays and developed television shows for producer Kristine Gregg at We Push Trains, Inc. His path to becoming a screenwriter had some stops along the way as he’s a trained jazz musician who studied percussion at Berklee College of Music. He’s gone on tour with the Bird of Paradise Jazz Orchestra and has worked as a session musician for songwriter/composer Matthew Sikora, Arthur Darien and Thomas Bergersen. His music has appeared on Netflix, Hulu, KROQ and numerous movie trailers and tv-spots. Since 2014, Ryan has worked as a professional camera operator and director of photography for commercials, music videos and web-series. Most notably for Golden Road Brewery, Floyd’s 99 Barbershop and the Emmy award winning comedy web-series “Dicks” in 2016. Recently, he started teaching himself 3D-Animation in Unity and Blender. He’s working on his first animated short film with his co-writer Brian Rodriguez. In 2019 he studied Full-Stack Web Development at UCLA Extension. He currently works as the webmaster for the UCLA International Institute
Content Creation & Scriptwriting Summer Institute FAQ
We welcome students of all levels; however, students should have a strong interest and a desire to learn about new media, content creation, and scriptwriting.
- Laptop
Still have questions? Check out the general Summer Institutes FAQ.