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Conrad A. Panganiban

Conrad A. Panganiban

playwright | conradap@gmail.com

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Underneath the Bodhi Tree

Posted on 12/25/201306/13/2015 by Conrad
sfsu sign
SFSU

Well, semester numero 3 is over at sfsu and I’m glad to say that I survived it. I wound up taking 15 units and after promising myself that is the last time I try taking that many units (along with having a part-time job w/ an internship), it’s looking like I’ll be signing up for that many units again. I’m so crazy, I know, but it’ll be worth it… I hope.

Even though I’m going into my 4th semester (out of 6-ish as it is billed as a 3 year program. But this really depends on how many units a person is able to take in a semester.) I still kinda questioned if going to school was a good idea. There have been great writers whom haven’t gone the MFA route and I could see how they could achieve greatness without it–WORK! Being a playwright requires a lot of work in order to get her or his work shown and truth-be-told an MFA degree doesn’t assure someone success. Actually, if someone really thinks that that that’s a really short-sighted view of how things work.

So, I can only speak for myself as to why I’ve chosen this path: I need structure. I very much consider myself a novice in this field. I’ve been fortunate to have some plays produced and have even self-produced, but I’d be dumb to think that I know everything, especially in the field of building a play. However, being in the program for this long, I’m starting to get the grasp of not only how to, but, why I’m writing a play the way I am.

One thing I’ve learned is to write about something I care about and something I want to say. I’ve always felt this, but it’s so important to re-iterate, if I don’t write about something I care about, how can I expect someone else to? The theme has to resonate with not only me, but should resonate with my audience. I mean, if I wanted to write a play for myself, then why bother writing one? It’s like writing a song that only I’ll be able to hear… and I’ve had my fair share of those songs!

But breaking this down further, I want to be able to leave the world better than the one I find myself living in. And the way I choose to do it is through writing about it: find a topic that I find interesting, what is my level of commitment to having an opinion about that theme, and how can I use my craft to address it in order for an audience to, at the very least, form their own opinion about in and DISCUSS it with others.

I learned first hand the power of knowing that a play doesn’t end after the cast bows through the experience of Esperanza Means Hope. While thanking the many family, friends, and strangers who took the ride with me on an hour and a half journey, I loved hearing how the story affected them. It was fun talking to my roommates about how they would have handled that situation. I relished in the discussion of whether there is still that stigma of talking about taboo topics in the Asian-American Community. This is the “power” of being a playwright. If I can’t change the world, I know that for the duration of the play and a little bit after, I changed the perception of those who gave up their valuable time to see what I had to say through my characters and the story I put them through.

Oh, getting back to school!!! LOL. I feel that my decision to go back to school was the right one. This semester more than the previous 2 mainly because this was the first one when I was totally invested in it. 15 units/5 classes, I needed to! I think I read more books and novels than I’ve ever read and wrote more than ever as well!

Oh, here are a couple of my accomplishments this semester:

  • Read a 400 page novel in 2 days.
  • Wrote a 50 page first draft in 2 days.
  • Wrote a 30 page play in a day… and had it produced!
  • Won a Runner-up Scholarship Award for a 10-minute
  • Had that 10-minute selected as part of my school’s Fringe Festival
  • Found out that play was read by someone I fan-boy over
  • Got selected, with other MFA peers, to take part in a Panel at an Asian American Studies Conference
  • Learned how the lighting and the sound systems at the theater I interned at worked!

Despite all of these rad accomplishments, I also had a mid-semester collapse of epic proportions. My brain and body collapsed. I got sick at least 3 times and had the worst case of writer’s block! Had to miss a couple of classes because of it. In one class, I felt like I missed the entire semester. I felt so bad about it because I didn’t get to work with an instructor as much as I SHOULD HAVE. Luckily, I had the first act written in my head for the majority of the semester and then had to kick my own ass to get something down on paper. Luckily, he didn’t hate me that much, although I wouldn’t blame him if he failed me (which I prayed that he didn’t). At the end of the semester, we talked and he gave me so many great notes which I’ll get to take into next semester to finish the play and start the workshop process.

All I can say is that I’m glad to have survived the semester and if anything, I’ve become a better and more determined writer and learner! Being a person trying to get his MFA in Creative Writing is so different than when I tried to get a BA in Business Administration. I care about the field I’m studying. I believe that the best education one can receive is one that a person would love to get if they are sitting underneath a tree with an instructor and just listening to what a person with experience in that field has to say. No notes just listening and discussing. BUT that’s just one phase as the next part is in application: reading, writing, and REWRITING! Still all of this with the intention of getting better at the craft NOT obtaining a degree! The degree only says that you fulfilled the requirements regardless if one learns anything or not. I learned that lesson through a previous stint in higher education.

Okay, I have more blog posts to write, so ciao!

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Headshot of Conrad A. Panganiban

Conrad A. Panganiban (he/him/his) is an award-winning Filipino American playwright representing the San Francisco Bay Area. His plays include Daryo’s All-American Diner, Welga, and River’s Message. Conrad’s work has been produced by Bindlestiff Studio, The Chikahan Company, CIRCA Pintig (IL), the MaArte Theatre Collective, and CATS (Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene) . Awards include: Best Play of 2023, Daryo’s All-American Diner (BroadwayWorldAwards Chicago), Best New Play, Daryo’s All-American Diner (Chicago Reader, Best of 2023), Susan Fairbrook Playwright Fund Awardee (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), 2023 New Voices in Comedy Writing Fellowship (Killing My Lobster), James Milton Highsmith Award Winner (SFSU), National Ten-Minute Play Festival Finalist (Actors Theatre of Louisville), and Bay Area Playwrights Festival Semi-Finalist (Playwrights Foundation). Resident Artist: Bindlestiff Studio. Member: Dramatist Guild of America, and Theatre Bay Area. MFA, San Francisco State University. @consplayspace

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