EXTRA EVENTS
Playwrights deserve more than one opportunity a year, and since 2022 we've explored other angles for services that help writers beyond the annual mentorship.
SCRUFF DRAFTS
a recurring pop-up silent writing series
Silent writing sessions are for writers like you coming together online and taking solace knowing you are not writing alone as you're creating your own art. The goals are to ease loneliness, allow accountability, and build community for creative writers. There will be a motivational quote, an optional prompt, or a quick lesson at the beginning...and then we will spend that next hour creating in our own headspaces together. After the official hour, those who wish to stick around can talk about their work and goals from there.
FOUR STEPS FORWARD
(first half of a double-feature)
a special event from June 29th, 2025
Three new works and a special cause from each local writer. Every step is different, and every step counts. Come see the creations that are made when writers have one week to write three new pieces freshly read by an actor they trust their work with!
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FEEDBACK QUOTE: "East Tennessee is full of talent – we need to get it out there more!"
AFRAID OF THE STORM
(second half of a double-feature)
a table reading and discussion from June 29th, 2025
AFRAID OF THE STORM is a psychological exploration about the guilt of responsibility. When Amber Dean's grandmother stops a search for her missing cat during a thunderstorm, this traumatizes her for the next fifty years. A workplace power outage sparks surreal visions toward her internal struggle: would Amber Dean make the same decision for her granddaughter that her grandmother made for her?​
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FEEDBACK QUOTE: "A play about examining responsibilities to family, to friends, to work – where those lines are drawn. There’s an element of the metaphysical to it that you completely don’t expect."
A NEW VIEW with Kali Meister
a special workshop from March 12th, 2025
Kali Meister was the first playwright teacher for Harrison Young. Now he invites Kali to teach her workshop with his Next Rung program. This is the first in what will become an annual event where a trusted guest playwright leads a workshop teaching Next Rung's alums. These will also be recorded for the larger writing community afterward.
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FEEDBACK QUOTE: "Thank you so much Kali for your time and knowledge and thank you Harrison for arranging and hosting the meeting!"
TWO BAD DAYS
a table reading and discussion from December 11th, 2023
Playwright Development Mentor Harrison Young featured his writing within this program for the first time. His comedy WAS IT MINE and his drama HOPE IN MISSISSIPPI combined together for an evening of table readings about abortion and reproductive rights called TWO BAD DAYS.
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FEEDBACK QUOTE: "As an oldster who was around before Roe v Wade was ever passed and who was in need of an abortion [...] I personally identified very closely to [HOPE IN MISSISSIPPI] [...] [WAS IT MINE was] lighthearted. It was funny, and I think humor is one of the great healers and great solvers of problems, so I liked both and I think both are equally important."
STEP UP
an educational writing panel from February 27th, 2023
Next Rung hosted a free online writer's panel featuring its founder and every playwright mentored by the program. Six ten-minute lessons and a Q&A session offered fresh advice to help writers take their next step up.
FEEDBACK QUOTE: "What a wonderful evening this was. It was very informative and helpful."
ROE V WAIT A MINUTE!
a special event from June 9th, 2022
In light of the Supreme Court leak, local talent created stories supporting Roe v Wade, reproductive services, abortion, and Planned Parenthood.
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FEEDBACK QUOTE: "Amazing writing and performances! I hope this is only the first of such socially and community-focused projects by Next Rung. Thanks for this powerful evening!"
