There’s something special about this time of year—a moment of transition where the summer fades into the beautiful reds and browns of autumn. And while we might have dreaded being dragged back into classrooms as kids, September is a time to focus on our adult selves: joining online playwriting courses to develop our craft.
Maybe you’ve had a play bubbling under for years, and you haven’t quite got round to writing it. Perhaps you’re a seasoned playwright struggling to get back into the routine of writing.
Either way, there’s a new term of WriteForTheStage short-courses, online playwriting courses that help bring routine and craft to your writing. And we even offer one course for free (till the end of October).
What’s on offer? Read on.
3-Act Online Writing Courses for Every Stage of the Writing Process
Great stories are only as powerful as the structure that holds them together. And that’s why we’ve divided our 5-week short courses into three stages that mirror the 3-act structure.
Our Top of the Stack series offers:
Online Writing Course #1: The First 10 Pages
Our introductory course is ideal for all playwrights, regardless of prior experience—perfect as a starting point to start writing or to hone an existing play’s opening.
We’ve designed the course specifically to help playwrights beat the dreaded 10-page sift so commonly used in playwriting competitions. It’s all about hitting the ground running and ensuring you immediately capture the reader’s attention, holding it until a cliff-hanger on page 10 entices them to keep reading.
So, whether you don’t have a play yet or you want to prepare a script to send to a competition, we’ll help you get to the Top of the Stack.
Reviews for Top of the Stack: The First 10 Pages
More information: Top of the Stack: The First 10 Pages
Online Writing Course #2: Top of the Stack: Act 2
While The First 10 Pages focuses on Act 1’s role in establishing driven characters facing a problem that leads them into conflict, Act 2 explores the functions of rising and falling action that keep the momentum going.
No flabby middles here!
We follow the classic functions of Act 2 to keep your characters’ actions exciting, logical, and challenging—almost guaranteed to keep the audience on the edges of their seat.
Reviews for Top of the Stack: Act 2
More information: Top of the Stack: Act 2
Online playwriting course #3: Top of the Stack: Act 3
This course is all about finding an ending—that make-or-break moment that audiences take with them from the theatre and into the bar for post-play discussions.
The end of your play is also the moment that lingers most heavily with critics and reviewers, so getting it right is a balancing act.
How to find an ending
We refer to your play’s opening to ensure your ending satisfies the premise. We look at the Problem of the World as presented in Act 1, and we ensure that it has been the thread that has forced the protagonist into action throughout the play.
From there, we find the path that drives the character towards a new stasis that represents the play’s journey.
Stories are about change, and the ending should demonstrate how the protagonist has survived the challenges of the story and emerged with a fresh outlook.
Reviews for Act 3
This is a brand new course, so there aren’t any reviews for this one yet.
Online playwriting course #4: One-Day Workshops
Our One-Day Workshops explore the essential elements of great plays and how to replicate them.
This tried-and-tested workshop is ideal for absolute beginners or for established playwrights looking for the starting point of a new play.
You’ll start with nothing, and after the 4-hour session, you’ll have characters, a conflict, and the opening pages of a brand new play.
Reviews for our One-Day Workshops
Our next One-Day Workshop is on 26th September.
Online writing courses #5: Finding Starting Points—FREE till October.
We’ve been running playwriting courses since 2013, and Finding Starting Points is a pre-recorded video course that drives you through the process we’ve honed over the years.
We help playwrights discover what they want to say through a sequence of practical exercises that help them express it on the page.
By the end of the three-hour course, you’ll have a detailed character study with all the impetus to start a play you didn’t even know you were going to write.
Reviews for Finding Starting Points
Due to demand, we’ve extended our free period for Finding Starting Points to the end of October.
More information: Finding Starting Points
Online Writing Courses #6: One-to-One Consultations
Sometimes you need some one-to-one time with a professional playwright who’s experienced in competition reading and mentoring.
Look no further: over the years, we’ve helped hundreds of playwrights develop their work.
Our one-to-one consultations are more affordable than you think (starting from £30). We offer specific developmental advice that helps maximise the impact of your material.
Check out a testimonial from a first-time writer who went on to develop their first play with WriteForTheStage.
Find out more: One-to-One Consultations
September is Go for our Online Playwriting Courses
Feeling inspired? Well, strike while the iron’s hot. The new term begins w/c 14th September 2026.
If you want to try out our teaching and learning approach, try our free Finding Starting Points course. Get in quick, though—it’s only free till the end of October.
And if you’re preparing a script for the next BBC Open Call, our First 10 Pages course will ensure you keep the reader reading.
Any questions? Add them in the comments below. And feel free to share this article with anyone who might be interested.
Thanks for reading.
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