Is it really possible to write a play in two days? Well, you might not walk out at the end with a polished, producible final draft, but you will have the bones, the spirit, and a central scene that dictates the work ahead of a brand new play. The course is built on the premise that if we commit to an idea and burrow down into it, we’ll come up with something authentic, personal and full of promise. It’s designed around starting with a number of playful and varied exercises – creating a range of possible starting-points – and then choosing a particular one and, through guided writing sessions and experiments, exploring its potential. So while you may not be ready to cast it by the end of Day Two, you’ll be well on your way to completing a first draft.

Day One covers the basic elements of playwriting – such as language, stakes, conflict, character and ideas – through a series of writing exercises. On Day Two, we apply all these to the creation of a central scene for a new play, along with planning the structure and content for the rest of the play, in order to make the writing process clear and enjoyable.

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Expected Learning Outcomes

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

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Participant Requirements

Along with an open mind and a willingness to try new things, participants need bring nothing but paper and pens (no writing devices, please). This course is designed around creating a new play from scratch, rather than furthering an existing idea or work-in-progress.