This writing course, A Play in Two Days with Hilary Bell, will be held at Writing NSW in Sydney.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking for a refresher, in this practical course multi award-winning playwright Hilary Bell will take you through the fundamentals of playwriting.

Beginning with writing games and exercises through which we build characters, conflict, narrative and structure, participants will finish the weekend with the outline of a new play. Participants will gain an intimate knowledge of their characters as well as the world of their play, and life beyond the play’s beginning and end.

While we can’t write a whole play over two days, participants will write a central scene – allowing them to see and hear how their characters behave, and generating energy for the scenes that precede and follow it, so that they can continue writing it in their own time.

Through discussion and workshopping of the participants’ writing, Hilary will discuss the elements of drama as they pertain to each individual project. Learning and understanding will come about through this practical application in the context of the participants’ own work.

Expected learning outcomes

Participants will:

1. Learn how to overcome the fear of the blank page
2. Gain an understanding of the elements of drama
3. Balance right-brain creativity with left-brain craft and analysis.

Participant requirements

Pen and paper and/or a fully charged device.

Is this workshop right for you? Please read our FAQ> for important information before enrolling. 

Reviews

‘Hilary was an incredibly generous tutor, the exercises were all very helpful, everyone in the group was supportive and positive.’ – Nicole 2024

‘I learned a lot in a short time. The practical exercises lead to writing a play in two days! Great discussion, interesting analysis and useful guide to take home. It was exciting and fun.’ – Sally 2024

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