Writing Comedic Dialogue with Mary Rose Betten

Screenwriters Association
of Santa Barbara

Presents Actress & Playwright

Mary Rose Betten

"Writing Comedic Dialogue"

Thursday, March 11, 7 pm*
*Come a half hour before our usual time (7:30 pm) to join in interactive discussion, get to know each other, and network with local talent.
FREE and Open to Everyone
Downtown Borders (Upstairs)
900 State Street
(805)899-3668
Email Us

Please bring a pen, paper and something to write on. Mary Rose will provide us with an optional writing prompt and give a few minutes for writing, then those who wish can share what they’ve written.

Mary Rose Betten is a retired character actress, poet, and playwright. She studied with the Los Angeles Playwrights at The Mark Taper with the late, Oliver Hailey. Her published and produced plays include: Mary M., A Visit with the Magdalene, People Of The Passion, Hildegarde 2000, Is Anybody Home? and she co-wrote The Bar Off Melrose, produced at The Melrose Theatre, published by Samuel French. Recently she was commissioned to write Holocaust theatre and after extensive research wrote and directed, Becoming Alleluia, available for purchase on DVD.

As a character actress she appeared on stage, screen and television and won three Clio awards for her comedic appearances in television commercials. As a stand up comic she was introduced as a new comedienne appearing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas by the Dean Martin Comedy Hour, and went on to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Mike Douglas Show and The Merv Griffin Show and starred as a stand up comic on the Playboy Club Circuit.

At Ghost Ranch in New Mexico she serves on the faculty of “A Room Of Her Own,” for women artists and writers where she was a recipient of a scholarship to their original retreat in 2001. She teaches in Perie Longo’s Santa Barbara Poetry Workshop and with her husband, Dr. Patrick Mitchell, gives workshops on spirituality and the arts.

*Also this month we'll have a special give-away. And, as always, samples from the Borders cafe.

Meeting minutes for Thursday, February 11, 2010

By Chuck Kent

A large crowd of fans gathered at Borders Books for the monthly meeting of the Screenwriters Association to share a delightful evening of poetry readings and commentary by David Starkey, who directs the creative writing program at Santa Barbara City College and is Santa Barbara’s current Poet Laureate. He’s also the author of two textbooks: Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief and Poetry Writing: Theme and Variations.

He also hosts a popular local television show, The Creative Community, in which he interviews a wide variety of writers and artists. Lisa Angle, who works on that television show with him, presided over the meeting and introduced David to the crowd.

David read a selection of new poetry he’s recently written as well as selections from his published books, which include Starkey’s Book of States, Adventures of the Minor Poet, Ways of Being Dead. David Starkey’s Greatest Hits and Fear of Everything.

David answered questions and interacted easily and humorously with his assembled fans, making for a fun evening, at the end of which he signed books and visited individually with fellow writers.

Lisa announced that on March 11^th our guest speaker will be funny actress Mary Rose Betten who will interact with attendees about "Writing Comedic Dialogue."

Borders Books, our monthly host at 900 State Street for about the eighth year, provides the Screenwriters Association with a great meeting space upstairs on the second Thursday of each month at 7 pm, and supplies free coffee and bakery snacks. The public is always invited for no charge.