Playwriting: An Introduction (online)

Central is excited to have specially re-purposed its introductory playwriting course for online provision whilst maintaining the fundamental qualities of the process.

Course Overview

Meeting twice a week for eight intensive lessons this playwriting course is an exciting opportunity to work with an established playwright to explore the fundamentals of writing a play. You will be working in a virtual group on Zoom with one of our experienced online tutors.

In a friendly and supportive environment, you will cover:

• finding your idea
• creating a structured plot
• developing a character
• creating dramatic action
• writing effective dialogue
• finding and nurturing your voice as a writer
• how to submit work to theatre companies and publishers

By the end of the course you will have the tools you need to continue on your playwriting journey and have ideas for your plot, a developed breakdown of your characters and a fully written and analysed first scene. You will also be introduced to the skills involved in redrafting your script and working with notes.

If you go on to complete your play in your own time once the course has been completed, for an additional fee, you can submit your completed play to the tutor for written feedback. Alternatively you may wish to continue on to Playwriting: Intermediate where you can return to further your development of your play and take the next steps towards completing your script under the guidance of the tutor.

Who is this course suitable for?

This course is open access and may suit actors trying to write their one person show, comedians wanting to pin down their routine in writing, unpublished playwrights trying to fine tune their work and complete beginners who have an idea and want to find the most effective way to bring it to fruition. This is an excellent opportunity to gain a practical understanding of the playwriting process.

Our previous students said....

"This course has inspired my creativity immensely and also helped me to learn how to structure my ideas into a fully developed scene."  Sophie - May 2020

"I found the course to be a safe place to not only explore my ideas, but to receive feedback from a dedicated teacher and my classmates". - Thomas - May 2020

General information

• All times listed are London time (either GMT, or GMT +1 depending on the time of year). If you're joining from overseas, please use a timezone convertor before booking to establish what the local time will be for you. 
• All workshops take place online using Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to you on the day the course begins with further instructions.
• You will need to have access to a quiet room or space with no other people present to take part in this course.
• For the best online experience, we recommend using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone. We also suggest you test your audio, visual and internet connection through Zoom, before joining the course.
• Central reserves the right to cancel this workshop within 7 days of it beginning if we don't meet the minimum number of sign-ups required. A full refund will be made to you in the instance, however, we're unable to refund any other costs you may have incurred.