Autumn Kick-Off: Two Free Workshops from London Playwrights Blog!

We’ve had brilliant experiences connecting with writers this year through our workshops, blog, script consulting – and most importantly through the Dark Horse Festival that took place this summer during our partnership with London Writers’ Week!

As a thank you to all the fantastic writers who sent scripts our way, we’re really excited to be able to offer you not one, but two FREE workshops this autumn!

We’ve taken on board feedback from our readers and previous workshop participants to bring you two super useful workshops that will help you hone in on both your professional and creative skills.

Both workshops will take place in September, kicking off our Autumn series of workshops, and are suitable for playwrights of all levels (absolute beginners included).

All you need to do to book is click the links below… but, be quick! Places are limited and are strictly on a first come first serve basis!

Creative Inspiration for Playwrights: A Practical Workshop

When: Saturday 24 September 2016 from 10am-12pm

Where: Diorama Arts Studios, 201 Drummond Street, London, NW1 3FE (nearest tube: Warren Street/Euston Square)

Never stare at a blank page again! This two-hour intensive workshop will get your creative juices flowing and leave you armed with a set of inspirational tools to boost your creativity when writing at home.

In this interactive session, workshop leaders Kimberley Andrews and  A.C. Smith will share with you the extensive stash of practical writing exercises they’ve picked up during their lives as workshop participants, playwrights, tutors and workshop leaders.  There’ll be chance to do some spontaneous writing, share your work with other members of the group and get constructive feedback on your ideas.

Preparation: none, just bring what you need to take notes – and be prepared to share your work in a group setting.

How to book: Please book your place through Eventbrite.

Intro to Script Formatting: Tips & Tricks for a Professional-Looking Script

When: Saturday 24 September 2016 from 12-1pm

Where: London (Zone 1/2) – location TBC

Final Draft or Word? How much space should you leave between lines? How much information should you include in stage directions?

Getting the formatting right on your script can seem like a minefield, especially with the wealth of software available these days. It seems like there are a set of unwritten rules a writer must follow, but how do you know what they are when even the formatting in published plays can vary so much?

The fact is, the way you format can be the difference between you communicating your ideas effectively or confusing your reader or even coming across as unprofessional.  Being confident in how you format can help you creatively too: get the layout right and not only will you save time, you’ll also give yourself a coherent script for re-drafting.

In this workshop, LPB’s A.C. Smith and Kimberley Andrews will blitz through the rules of formatting your stage play and explain how to get your script submission ready. As experienced playwrights, script-readers and playwriting tutors, they both know what makes a script easy to read and they’ll be sharing their knowledge with you in this session.

Preparation: none, just what you need to take notes.

How to book: Please book your place through Eventbrite.

About the Workshop Leaders

A.C. Smith is a scriptwriter and songwriter.  She is a Playwriting Tutor on the MA Text & Performance at RADA, where she previously served as Head of Academic Studies.  She has won awards for her writing from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Soho Theatre, and has also been shortlisted for the Kevin Spacey Foundation Artists of Choice Awards and the Perfect Pitch Award as a lyricist/librettist for musical theatre.  Her writing has been performed at the Soho Theatre, HighTide, RADA, Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503, and Pleasance Theatre, among others. She has worked at First Born Films as Development Executive, working on new feature film projects, and has worked as a writer/dramaturg with physical theatre & dance projects with Theatre Re and Jorge Crecis. She is Co-Founder & Director of London Playwrights’ Blog.www.ac-smith.com.

Kimberley Andrews is a playwright with an MA in Text & Performance Studies from RADA/ Kings College London. Her writing credits include commissions from the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Wolverhampton University. She has also developed work with the Manchester Royal Exchange and All the Rage Theatre. Kimberley has written and produced her own work at the Hen & Chickens Theatre in Islington as part of comedy collective, Wet Lettuce. She was shortlisted for the BBC Drama Writers’ Academy in 2012 and was then selected by BBC to participate in a training academy for day-time soap Doctors, resulting in writing a trial script for the show. Kimberley has worked as a playwriting tutor at RADA and currently works as a freelance script consultant.

Photo Credit: Image by Rocco Julie via Flickr Commons CC License

Curious about our other workshops?  Check out the full listings here!

11 thoughts on “Autumn Kick-Off: Two Free Workshops from London Playwrights Blog!”

  1. Pingback: Autumn 2016 Workshops from London Playwrights’ Blog! | LONDON PLAYWRIGHTS BLOG

    1. Hi Claudette – this is a special programme we’re running as a one-off, I’m afraid! We don’t have any funding, so we have to cover our costs with our workshops which is why they normally have a fee. We do aim to keep these as affordable as we can, so if you’re interested in coming along it might be worth checking out one of Kimberley Andrews’ intensive workshops. Have a lovely time on holiday!

  2. I’m trying to book a place for the second workshop but I can’t do it, I don’t know why… what shall I do? thank you

  3. Hi
    Can you confirm where the workshops will be. I am booked on all three for the day and need to sort out my travel arrangements as I’m coming from outside the city.

    1. Sorry for the wait on this information – we’ve now updated the post to include our workshop space, in the gorgeous Diorama Arts Studios. We’ll also be sending out our confirmation email tomorrow (Monday) evening with full details.

  4. Hi , I was sent a ticket to the playwriting course but seem to have accidentaly deleted the email – could you resend please? You should have a record that it was sent. Many thanks

    1. Hi Alison, We’ll be sending out the reminder tomorrow evening (Monday) – if this doesn’t come through just give us a shout!

  5. Pingback: Opportunities Weekly Round-up: 16 September 2016 | LONDON PLAYWRIGHTS BLOG

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