This semester, creative writing teacher Daniel Strasberger introduced a new and unique course to the conservatory’s class repertoire: Storytelling in Pro Wrestling.
A long time fan of the sport, Mr. Strasberger jumped on the opportunity to teach this class when it first arose, but he wasn’t so sure it would get a good response from the students.
It is very niche; it is very weird. So I was definitely worried if there wouldn’t be as much engagement.”
But with professional wrestling’s rich storytelling, combined with Mr. Strasberger’s passion, the class was bound to attract some. With a class size of 20 students, it’s safe to say it did.
Pro wrestling, while originating from legitimately competition-based sport, has long since been scripted– focusing more on showy moves, characters, and plotlines that garner massive audience reactions. According to Mr. Strasberger, this writing is “the purest form of storytelling.” He makes the joke often, arguing that “it’s good and bad. That’s the pureness of it.”
Students’ reasons for taking the class varied widely. When Santiago Awori signed up for it, they were already working on a wrestler character, and joined so that they could learn “how to write her in her own story.” Now that they’re in the class, they’re finding the variety of matches and promos shown in the class valuable. On the other hand, Zoe Lopez is excited to start writing characters and stories, having grown up around wrestling.
The class is proving to be promising, and students are already finding value and fun in it. Mr. Strasberger claims there are more exciting things to come, too, with a field trip to meet with real professional wrestlers in the works.
Course Selection