Description
Next summer school: August 2026
Is life getting in the way of writing your play?
It happens, doesn’t it? It can be frustrating; leaving you feeling unfulfilled and resentful of all those other things you have to do to keep the wolf from the door.
Our Online Playwriting Summer School provide activities and focused writing times, dedicated to helping you get that first draft written.
How does an online playwriting summer school work?
Running over five days, we’ll get together for morning writing exercises that help you discover your next big idea.
Then, we’ll get together in the evenings and read what you’ve written to develop your craft and share your work.
Just like a regular writing retreat – but there’s no travel, you can do it from the comfort of home, AND it’s much more affordable than a residential.
What happens on an online playwriting summer school?
Each morning during the week, we’ll get together on Zoom for fully interactive writing exercises and some learning. We’ll cover essential writing devices, such as The Dramatic Question and easy-to-apply narrative structure. Through guided workshops, you’ll develop the shape of your story and apply dramaturigical questions to your work-in-progress.
You’re likely to be starting from scratch, so we’ll be looking at Finding Starting Points and developing them into the framework of your first draft.
And during the week, we’ll get together for evening reading sessions, where you’ll hear your work read out loud amongst the group.
What are the dates?
Our online playwriting summer school will run on:
Tues 4th Aug, 10-11am
Wed 5th Aug, 10-11am, 7-9pm
Thurs 6th Aug, 10-11am
Fri 7th Aug, 10-11am, 7-9pm
Sat 8th Aug, 10am-12pm
What is the time commitment for the online playwriting summer school?
The more energy you can give the week, the more you’ll get back from it — that’s just how writing works. But life is busy, and things pull at us from all directions, so start by thinking about what you want from the time.
If you’re hoping to come away with a short play by Friday, join the morning sessions and put aside as muhc free time to write each day. Treat it like a holiday – a steady rhythm will carry you through.
If you’re dreaming of a first draft of something longer — up to an hour or more — it’s worth clearing as much space as you can. Treat the summer school as a chance to sink into the joy of writing, exploring, and seeing where the week takes you.
What do people say about online learning with WriteForTheStage?
WriteForTheStage has been running for over a decade and has helped hundreds of burgeoning and experienced playwrights develop their work.
Here are some reviews of our online and live playwriting courses:
Brilliant course and well structured 1 session per week for five weeks with time to capture learnings in your work. Mike is a talented playwright and educator who has imparted valuable building blocks for a compelling first act. I look forward to working with Mike and talented co students in the future. Kay (Australia)
(for Top of the Stack: First 10 Pages) 5 stars
Fantastic course this was. Not only the lessons of character development and structure but also of a very supportive group collaboration. You learn from reading your own work and from others as well. Having the weekly assignments to progress stories and update in this group setting keeps you on track. The teacher is very warm and creates the same atmosphere of support.
(for Top of the Stack: First 10 Pages) 5 stars
Brilliant resource for first-time writers, experienced authors and anyone in between.
The course was pitched at a perfect level and helped elicit all the individual elements for writing an original piece – from finding characters to developing plot – in 3 comfortable and easy lessons.
There’s also some great techniques for generatimg new ideas and for keeping the creativity flowing.
I also love how Mike’s course could be used for writing poetry, prose or for the stage. Highly recommended – thanks!
(for Finding Starting Points) 5 stars
Is there any more information?
We have several articles in our blog that explains in detail how online playwriting courses work.
Check out:
Why online playwriting courses are transforming how writers learn their craft
What happens at an online playwriting summer school
Online playwriting courses for everyone at WFTS
Any questions?
If you have any questions about our online playwriting summer school, fill in the contact form below. And we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
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