One-on-Ones

Gina offers one-on-one dramaturgical consults for those who are interested in breaking through on a draft. Options below reflect full-length scripts only. Reach out for pricing for shorter scripts.

Option 1 - $175:

I’ll read your play and we’ll schedule a 60-minute phone or zoom meeting to talk about the play. During our session, I will give you verbal feedback and answer any questions you have about the play.

Option 2 - $200:

I read your play and write up constructive feedback and comments and send them via e-mail.

Option 3 - $250:

A mix of the two – I read your play, write up constructive feedback and comments and e-mail them to you.  Then we find time to meet over the phone or zoom to discuss and answer any questions.  

I also offer multi-session one-on-ones for those who have longer term goals with their script. This begins with a free consultation where we create a plan of action. Based on your artistic needs, we set up a series of meetings designed to reach your artistic goals for the piece over the course of a few months. This is great for someone who wants to continue developing a piece over the course of a few months. Pricing varies.

Interested?
E-mail ginafemiasecondemail@gmail.com to set up an appointment.

"While developing a full-length play, I sought out one-on-one dramaturgical support from Gina, and it turned out to be a legit game changer for my process. Gina was amazing at asking questions that pushed me to think about the play on a deeper level.  They helped me clarify the core questions of the play, recognize what was already working, and identify what needed further development. Gina is generous and incisive with their feedback, and their encouragement helped me stay with the work at moments when I might otherwise have stepped away. No matter how experienced you are, I would wholeheartedly recommend working with Gina -- sometimes simply talking through a writing problem with someone who truly understands the process is what leads to a real artistic breakthrough."

— Naveen Choudhury

“Working with Gina as a dramaturg is a dream! Not only do our sessions provide me with much-needed structure and deadlines, their insight into my piece has been invaluable. They are able to see things that I can’t always see, and ask me sharp questions to help me take the piece where I want it to go rather than just giving prescriptive advice. When I’m stuck, they always have a treasure chest full of different exercises to unblock me. They are ever encouraging while also being honest and clear about what is working and what isn’t. On this very personal project I’m currently writing, they have also given me tools to help navigate challenging emotions that come up. I will ever be grateful to Gina, for I know this musical would not be where it is without their guidance.”

— Natalie Wilson

As a dramaturg, I put the playwright at the center of their own process. I start from a place of inquiry, asking playwrights about their intentions and what their struggles with the script currently are rather than making any assumptions. My goal is to be a voice that helps a playwright articulate their own needs and to reflect my personal experience of what is currently on the page. Based on the questions asked, and the need expressed from the playwright, I share thoughts about how they might want to tackle their next draft in order to achieve clarity around things that may be unclear, or to dive deeper into moments that are sitting at the surface. As a playwright, I love to rewrite and understand that the rewriting process can be fraught for others, so I especially like to provide guidance on how a playwright might improve their own relationship to the rewriting process.

Here’s what playwrights say:

“If you're a playwright, at any stage of your career, do yourself a favor and book a dramaturgical session with Gina Femia. They take close reading to another level. And that may sound simple. But finding someone who can read a play and succinctly distill its key themes and produce thought-provoking questions – all rooted in the text – is a gift. Gina possesses that gift.

Gina approached my dramaturgical session with a dedication and respect to the material that you seldom see anywhere. Their feedback was generous and action-oriented, whether it was an affirmation of a certain line or a specific question about a character's motivation. If you've ever wondered to yourself: "Does this thing in my play make sense?" you should schedule a session with Gina. They won't answer that question (only you can!), but they will thread together insights that help you make a more informed decision/game plan.

In short, Gina is a brilliant reader, a dedicated feedback-giver, and someone who motivated me in a way that no one else has been able to for a long time. Thank you, Gina!”

—Connor Bradshaw

“I cannot overstate how much I appreciate Gina Femia’s work as a dramaturge.  After my whole life as a singer-songwriter, I recently wrote my first play which is now heading into workshop.  Gina’s my dramaturge. They are insightful, skillful, generous and patient and has helped me birth this project with great good humor and kindness.  I’ve loved their work as a playwright for a long time, and now I can recommend Gina wholeheartedly as dramaturge.“ 

— Ina May Wool

“I highly recommend working with Gina as a dramaturg if you are serious about taking your play to the next level. More than anything, Gina is deeply invested in the story, approaches the work with real respect and thoroughness rarely seen, and grace; and in doing so helped the work improve through the revision process. Gina provides pages of notes; including: what resonated most and a series of questions they had as they were reading. I found both to be incredibly helpful.

More specifically, Gina’s questions helped me complicate my characters by making their motives more clear. In one case, I had 115 pages of a first draft I absolutely loved- with strong characters-  and yet there was no clear dramatic question anchoring or driving the work. Through written notes and an incredibly focused meeting we were able to unearth the dramatic question and in turn, the plays engine. What a relief! As all playwrights know, revision is inherent in the process, and Gina makes the process of revision meaningful and action oriented where your play really can find its voice, and in turn, its audience.”

-Paul Conlon