Current EDUCATION
Graduate
Shaffer is a current student in the MFA Screenwriting & Playwriting program at Point Park University.
From July 27th to August 1st, they will be in their first of five residencies, where they will be brought to Point Park's campus to engage with their cohort and faculty in professional development. In this low-residency program, Shaffer will be doing majority of the course work from home, with five week-long residencies bringing them to campus throughout the two years. This method will provide Shaffer with real-world working conditions for playwrights, putting them into the shoes of how professionals work.
Shaffer will deepen their artistry in playwriting and expand to screenwriting, writing scripts for podcasts and animations, and more.
The classes Shaffer will begin in the fall include:
Fundamentals of Playwriting: This course engages in the history, form, and writing styles specific to playwriting. Students will explore classical and contemporary stage works to examine the spectrum of genres, styles, and approaches while writing a short play and starting a longer work.
Elements of Screenwriting: Students develop and rewrite a short script and develop a full-length screenplay while learning or reviewing essential elements of screenwriting.
Engaging the Audience: The course will focus on an in-depth analysis of dramatic and cinematic structure, formulas, principles, and storytelling. Students will study a wide range of successful films, shows, and theatrical works and discover the common elements they share and the different approaches each can take. Students will employ narrative devices to further develop scenes, sequences, acts, and stories.
PREVIOUS eDUCATION
Undergraduate
Shaffer graduated from Commonwealth University- Bloomsburg on May 17th, 2025 with their BA in Theatre Arts with an Integrated concentration.
Throughout their undergraduate career, Shaffer expanded their knowledge across an array of theatrical disciplines, including:
Directing, Playwriting, Dramaturgy, Acting, Stage Management, and Sound Design. They also held various positions of leadership, including: President of Delta Epsilon Beta, Vice President of Delta Epsilon Beta, Academic Leader of Delta Epsilon Beta, Treasurer of BUPlayers, President of Alpha Psi Omega, Treasurer of Alpha Psi Omega, and served on the Student Advisory Board for the KCACTF Region 2 2025 Festival.
Notable classes they took were as follows:
Directing, Advanced Directing, Playwriting, Advanced Playwriting, New Play Development, Advanced New Play Development, Dramaturgy, Stage Management, Intermediate Acting, and Advanced Acting.
Notable collaborative processes include:
Playwright and Producer of Earth, I Want to Stay by Emily M, Shaffer, a Student Driven Project part of the BUPlayers 2024-2025 MainStage Season, led by Emily M. Shaffer and Colin Search.
Director and Playwright of You Make Your Own Family by Emily M. Shaffer, a Student Driven Project part of the BUPlayers 2022-2023 MainStage Season led by Emily M. Shaffer.
Actor in the Plays in Bloom: New Play Development Residency in the years 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Dramaturg of Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Sw*fties, a MainStage Production of the BUPlayers 2024-2025 season.
Chorus 8 in These Women of Troy, a MainStage Production of the BUPlayers 2024-2025 season.
You may find more of their work on the Previous Work tab.
In April of 2025, Shaffer was the first student from Commonwealth University- Bloomsburg to attend the KCACTF National Festival at the Kennedy Center in DC. Shaffer was 1 of 11 students across the country nominated for the ASPIRE Arts Leadership program, one of KCACTF's programs. They spent a week in DC collaborating with their 10 fellow cohort members and working professionals in DC, such as Artistic Directors and Founders of different theatre companies.