New play dramaturgy · Atlanta & online
Your story, received in the body.
I read your work closely and respond with curiosity, instead of judgment. I do not seek to fix, but to excavate and illuminate what is already present.
I'm a dramaturg, educator and storytelling specialist who works with all kinds of writers: playwrights, novelists, devisers, screenwriters, choreographers, and anyone building a new piece from the ground up.
About Amber
(she/they)
An Atlanta native, a Southern queer, and a fierce believer in the power of storytelling.
Amber is a new play dramaturg, storytelling expert, moderator, and dancer/mover with a sole focus on new works and script development. They also love working as a dance dramaturg.
Since 2006 they have worked locally with Actor's Express, Theater Emory, Kennesaw State University, Synchronicity Theatre, the Center for Puppetry Arts, Out of Hand Theatre, Out Front Theatre, Gathering Wild Dance, Staibdance, Theatrical Outfit, and True Colors Theatre Company.
For Working Title Playwrights, Amber dramaturgs for the Ethel Woolson Lab and the Ghost Light Bake-Off, moderates for all WTP programs, teaches many workshops, including a New Play Dramaturgy & Playwriting Intensive and a Directing Intensive, and hosts TABLEWORK: How New Plays Get Made, a podcast about process.
Alongside their playwriting (Embodied, Searching for Jane), they have co-produced and written original works including the virtual dance piece Chords Bare, Circa 50 with Gathering Wild, Learning to Fly with the Center for Puppetry Arts, and Identified: A Queer Variety Show! with Corian Ellisor.
Amber is a co-founding member of I.D.E.A. ATL (Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in the Arts Atlanta), a collective of artists providing J.E.D.I. education, facilitation and training for the arts community.
- LMDA member since 2017
- ALMA Class of 2020
- Affiliate Artist, Theater Emory
- Co-founder, I.D.E.A. ATL
How we work together
We meet
A 1-hour introductory session on Zoom to talk about your work, where it is now, and what you're hoping for.
I read your work
You send the draft, and I read closely with your goals in mind.
I prepare notes
You get written notes, and I prepare verbal notes to talk through, so nothing gets lost.
We meet on Zoom
A virtual session to go over the notes in depth, answer your questions, and find the next draft together.
An embodied response, not a critique. I respond to your work the way an audience body does: what I felt, where I leaned in, where I lost the thread. It's feedback you can use without having to defend your work.
From writers
“Working with Amber has been incredibly rewarding. Her ability to develop ideas and deliver constructive input without it feeling negative or soul-crushing has been pivotal to my overall enjoyment of the rewriting process. I started out with big ideas, wild ambition and very little technical knowledge and somehow, despite being a complete newb and committing all sorts of classic errors, Amber was always there to gently course-correct without ever making me feel worse for the wear. She’s like an anthropologist with the softest brushes, dusting all the dirt carefully out until I had something that SHINES.”
“Working with Amber is invaluable. She’s an incredibly gifted dramaturg who has improved my work immensely. She’s also fun to work with, provides a safe space for artists to be vulnerable and never fails to spot areas that can be improved. I brought a difficult project to her and she helped me figure out the emotions, beats and undercurrents I needed to fully flesh out my play. As a result, we did a short Off Broadway run this summer, which received 5 star reviews and interest from the industry for a wider run.
None of this could have happened without Amber’s dramaturgy, encouragement and belief. I recommend her highly. It’s a great investment if you are serious about your art.”
Services & rates
Free consultation
Tell me about your project and what you need. We'll see if we're a good fit.
Book consult ↗By the hour
Flexible time for a short piece, a single scene, or a quick check-in on a revision.
Book an hour ↗5-hour package
Starts with a 1-hour intro session about your work and goals, then a full read, written and verbal notes, and an in-depth Zoom session.
Book intro session ↗15-hour package
Starts with a 1-hour intro session about your work and goals, then a deeper collaboration across drafts: the full read and notes, plus more hours shaped around your process.
Book intro session ↗Book a session
(find your mark)Pick a time on my calendar
Booking happens on Calendly. Choose your session, pick an open time, and you'll get a confirmation with the Zoom details right away. Not sure which option fits? Start with the free 20-minute consult.
calendly.com/bradshaw-amberbradshaw.amber@gmail.com- After you book
- We meet. A 1-hour intro session about your work and your goals.
- Send your draft. I read it closely with your goals in mind.
- I read and prepare notes. Written notes, plus verbal notes to talk through.
- We meet on Zoom. We go over everything in depth and find the next draft.