Introduction to Playwriting Introduction to Playwriting short course

Courses

Introduction to Playwriting

Key Information
  • Dates

    This course has now passed. Please continue to check our website for 2024 dates. 

  • Times

    This is a three-day course which will run from 09:30 to 16:30 each day.

Overview

The Introduction to Playwriting short course is designed as a fast-paced introduction to the craft of writing for live performance. Whether you’ve already had a go at writing a play or you are just looking to build the confidence to put pen to paper, this course can support you in your development as a writer. 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School offers a fun and nurturing environment in which to pursue your creative ambitions. The School is a world leader in drama writing training, and the support available from your tutors will help you develop your natural talents and confidence in playwriting.

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Highlights

• Gain grounding in the fundamentals of playwriting: dramatic action, character, dialogue, location and structure;

• Develop ideas by looking at the world around you for inspiration and participating in group exercises and discussions;

• Learn about the collaborative process of bringing a performance to life and listen to your writing be performed by acting students at a round-table reading;

• Nurture your skills and build your confidence in a group setting with support from course tutors and other students.

This is a full-time, three-day course, running from 09:30 to 16:30. This course is taught in our writing facilities at Downside Road.

FAQs

What do I need to bring?

A notebook, a pen or a laptop – whatever you would like to write on.

Is this course for me?

This course is a fast-paced introduction to the craft of writing plays and suitable for those with interest in theatre and writing for live performance. If you want to write lots, share ideas, learn in a group setting and get guidance from professionals on the craft of writing for theatre, this short course is a perfect fit for you.

About the Course Leader

Silva Semerciyan is an award-winning playwright and lecturer in Drama at Bath Spa University. She has taught playwriting for the Theatre Royal Bath Theatre School, Papatango, Theatre 503, and is currently a playwright mentor for National Theatre’s New Views programme. Her play, I and the Village, premiered at Theatre 503 in 2015 and was a finalist for the Bruntwood Prize and an Offie Award for best new play. Her other plays include Witches Can’t Be Burned (National Theatre Connections); Another Man’s Son (National Theatre Studio; winner of the William Saroyan Prize); A Quest for Arthur (National Theatre’s Lets Play Series); The Light Burns Blue (Tonic Theatre); Under a Cardboard Sea, The Window, and The Tinderbox (Bristol Old Vic Theatre); Flashes (Young Vic Theatre); and Gather Ye Rosebuds (Winner, Best New Play, Brighton Fringe Festival). Her first radio play, Varanasi, was shortlisted for a BBC audio drama award. She holds an MPhil in Playwriting from The University of Birmingham and is soon to complete a Creative Critical PhD in playwriting at the University of East Anglia.

The culture at BOVTS is encouraging, respectful, welcoming and empowering; the environment and buildings are beautiful and I found Bristol to be one of the most wonderful cities in which to spend summer! Lindy Yeates, Foundation Course Student