PEOPLE
Diana Amsterdam, Artistic Director
Diana’s play Fast Girls (pub: Samuel French) has been produced 32 times around the world and translated into 4 languages; and won a Hugo for Best Comedy (Montreal’s equivalent of a Tony). In New York, she has had productions of full-length plays at Manhattan Class Company, the Atlantic, Abingdon Theatre, the American Jewish Theatre and the American Stage Company. First Place in the BBC Radio Play Contest, First Place in New York Women in Film and TV’s 25th Anniversary Screenplay Contest; grant from New York State Council on the Arts; selection for HBO’s Play to Screen Series. Publication of five plays by Samuel French and two by Playscripts, plus an upcoming special Teaching Edition; anthologized by Smith & Krause and St. Martins Press. Writing commissions from the BBC, Manhattan Class Company, Susan Seidelman and Stanley Brechner.
Diana’s screenplays have been optioned in LA and London, with movie producers Marty Bregman, Art Linson, Michael Mendelsohn, Jodie Burke, Jon Finn (Working Title, London) and Eoin O’Callaghan (BBC). Currently, she is working with script developer Larry Collins on a new screenplay.
For TV, Diana worked with Craig Hatkoff to develop a new preschool children’s property based on best-selling books. She is currently retained by A&E as a story & structure consultant for three new “celebreality” series.
As a writing coach, Diana has worked with clients who have successfully attained publication, productions and representation. She has taught at The Writer’s Voice NYC and Dowling College on Long Island.
Larry Collins
Now, The Drama Center offers the services of Diana’s own script coach, Larry Collins. Larry works in Hollywood as a writer and development guru. Over the past 12 years he has worked on hundreds of screenplays, including produced films “The Cooler” (2003), “Chaos” (2005) and “Flawless” (2007), just to name a few. He graduated from the University of Miami with an MFA in filmmaking.
Lawrence Harbison
The Drama Center offers a rare opportunity to work with Lawrence Harbison, former Senior Editor at Samuel French Inc. and currently Senior Editor for Smith & Kraus, and a much heralded champion of playwrights who helped develop the careers of Diana Amsterdam, Don Nigro, Jane Martin, Ken Ludwig, William Mastrosimone, Donald Margulies, Richard Dresser, Frederick Stroppel, Theresa Rebeck, Tina Howe, Judi Ann Mason, Shirley Lauro, Steven Dietz, Jerry Sterner.
Gillien Goll
Gillien Goll is currently on the faculty of AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy), where she has been teaching since 2001. She taught for three years at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center Campus, as well as at various acting schools throughout the city. As the Artistic Director of The Centaur Stage, she also taught the company’s Master Class. She is a private acting coach, offering on and off camera instruction at every level - from beginning to professional - for theatre, film, television, commercials, stand-up, and cabaret. She holds a B.A. from Barnard College and a Masters’ Degree in Directing from Hunter College, where she studied with Harold Clurman and Lloyd Richards. She teaches a supportive Moment to Moment Technique which was influenced by her studies with legendary acting teacher Darryl Hickman
