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Participants in face to face courses must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must comply with any other precautionary measures Writing NSW puts in place.

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.

Is this course right for you? Read our FAQ >

Learning Outcomes

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.

If you are feeling unwell and experiencing any COVID-related symptoms on the day of the course, you must stay at home and contact us to let us know. As a participant in this course, you will be required to follow all COVID safety measures in place by Writing NSW to ensure the health and wellbeing of our community.

If you have questions about this course and/or COVID-safe guidelines, please contact us.

More from Writing NSW 

Check out our full range of in-person writing courses in Sydney, our online writing courses and our feedback programs to see how we can help you on your writing journey. Find out about our grants and prizes, as well as writing groups across NSW, and sign up to our weekly newsletter for writing events, opportunities and giveaways.