American Theater Group (ATG) and the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge, NJ collaborated to offer the six-week free, interactive program for adults, high school, and college students. Aspiring playwrights were invited to use their “lived experiences” to develop 10-minute plays. The workshops were made possible thanks to a Somerset County 2026 Local Arts Program Grant.
Jason Odell Williams, is a playwright, actor and television producer who has been nominated for an Emmy Award, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award, and an L.A. Ovation Award. His plays are published by Concord Theatricals, TRW and Uproar Theatrics, including The New York Times critics’ pick Handle with Care and the critically acclaimed Church & State which both ran Off-Broadway. He’s the author of over a dozen plays that have collectively had over 200 productions across the country. Most recently his play Destroying David premiered at Circle Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas then had its West Coast premiere at Dezart Performs in Palm Springs, CA. There are three more productions scheduled for the 2026-2027 season, including the East Coast Premiere in October at American Theatre Group in New Jersey. He also recently co-wrote the book for a new musical called The Sound with his wife and collaborator, Charlotte Cohn, and actor/composer Christian Douglas. The new musical, inspired by true events, had its first workshop production in May 2026 at JCC CenterStage in Rochester, New York. Jason was the winner of the Hudson Valley Writers Workshop contest and a Finalist for the McKnight National Residency and Commission. On television, Jason’s work as a writer and producer has been seen on HBO Max, National Geographic, the History Channel, Discovery, and Netflix.
Jason proved to be an excellent teacher. During the program, students developed playwriting skills through creative prompts, workshopped each other’s works, and reviewed some of the nuts and bolts of theatrical production.
The Playwriting Class (Photo Credit: Courtesy of American Theater Group)
Jason has top advice for people who are hoping to become writers or improve their writing skills. “It’s simple and that’s just to write. You can’t learn by reading about it or hearing someone talk about it. You must do it!” he said. “A workshop like this one is useful because most of the time is spent writing and then sharing what others wrote and discussing what’s working. I try not to lecture' for a long time about how to write’ because everyone is different. I try to talk about each piece individually because each one has its own needs and tone. There’s no `one size fits all’ way to write a play. But generally, my advice is to write a first draft, have some friends read it out loud, then rewrite. Repeat until you think it’s perfect or as good as it’s going to get. Then you can start sending it out to theatres to read for consideration. But get it beyond that clumsy first draft by hearing it out loud and rewriting over and over. By the time you see a play of mine on a stage, it’s been through hundreds of drafts. And that’s not an exaggeration. Hundreds! Write. Listen. Rewrite. Repeat.”
I had the opportunity to speak with some of our fellow classmates about their playwriting experience. Maryellen Decoster of Warren, NJ said that the description of the class sounded like it would be fun. She wrote her play, Morning with Chris about the relationship between a grandmother and young grandson.
Raymond Shinn is the author of The Real Me. He told me what prompted him to join the playwriting workshop. “I hope I get the good push I need to go ahead and start writing a play. Jason gave us very specific pointers that I hope to put into good use. For example, he said anytime a character enters or exits a scene, something has to change; the temperature in the room has to go hotter or cooler, depending on who entered. Now I need to make it work.”
Jo Ann Poll of Metuchen, NJ is the writer of Killing With Kindness. She told us that she is focused on developing a writing portfolio and wanted to test the basic beats of one of her feature scripts. She thought this would be a great opportunity to revisit playwriting, with the challenge of working within the confines of a 10-minute play structure. Jo Ann commented, ” I thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s stories, and how varied, yet universal, they all are,” she said. “Not only did we learn much from Jason, but also from each other, in a convivial atmosphere. The class has reinvigorated my passion for theater and lit a fire under me to work on that musical comedy!”
On Sunday, August 30th each member of the class had their play read by fellow students to an appreciative audience consisting of friends and family. The 16 plays included a remarkable variety of themes. Some of the titles included Discourse on the Golf Course, On Paper, The Coqui Recounts, The Move, One Who Has Achieved Great Glory, Grandma, C’est La Vie, and The Audition. It was a unique experience to hear each play come to life. The Summer Theater Workshop encouraged me to strengthen my writing skills and attempt a play.
Simply stated, we should all try something new!
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Top Shutterstock photo by megaflopp
Photo Credit: Courtesy of American Theater Group
