Back to All Events

Essentials of Dramatic Writing

A Two-Part Workshop on Writing Plays and Screenplays

Saturdays, April 3, 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM & April 10, 11:00 AM- 2:00 PM

Level: All Levels

What are the particular demands of dramatic writing? A playwright or screenplay writer must envision a vivid world unfolding on the stage or screen, but must convey this world to the director, actors, and audience solely via dialogue, stage directions, and brief description.

In the first session of this workshop, the class will explore the elements of dramatic writing craft—voice, structure, action, character, dialogue, and setting. We will also discuss how to create and sustain narrative and thematic threads. During the second session, each participant’s script excerpt, submitted in advance, will receive an in-class reading and feedback. Participants will develop their skills in effective critiquing of their own and others’ work.

+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit an excerpt of their play or screenplay of 10 pages or less by no later than 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 25. Please take this deadline and page limit seriously as late submissions likely cannot be accepted, and excess pages will be cut. Please email the manuscript to hannah@mainewriters.org with the subject line: “LEPCIO WORKSHOP MSS.” *Word docs (ideally) or PDFs only, please.

+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online, using the video meeting platform Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, April 1, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, MWPA’s Hannah Perry will offer a test session on Zoom. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the test session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.

+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).

If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.


Lepcio.jpg

Andrea Lepcio is best known for Looking for the Pony, a finalist for the Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award and for the NEA Outstanding New American Play Award. It was presented in a "Rolling World Premiere" Off-Broadway at Vital Theatre Company in New York and Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta and subsequent productions. Recent productions include Strait of Gibraltar at Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta and American Stage in St. Petersburg, Tunnel Vision at Off the Wall in Pittsburgh and Venus Theatre in Maryland, and Dinner at Home between Deaths at Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. Additional Plays and musicals under development include World Avoided (EST/Sloan Commission), Central Avenue Breakdown (FwdTheatre) and Life & Times (Music Theatre Factory). Her screenplay for Strait of Gibraltar was a Second Rounder at the Austin Film Festival. Her screenplay, A September Spring, won the Sloan Foundation Dramatic Writing Award. Andrea is a member of the Dramatists Guild, was a Dramatists Guild Fellow and served as the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program Director for ten years. She is a writing coach for all genres, a Dramatic Writing visiting faculty member at College of the Atlantic, and a playwriting faculty member at the Dramatists Guild Institute. M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing, Carnegie Mellon University. B.A. Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic. She lives in Maine, which means she travels often.


ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via PayPal. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.

PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION

QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Hannah Perry at hannah@mainewriters.org.

REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.

REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information. Please note that mail delivery to the MWPA office is currently experiencing extensive delays, so please email hannah@mainewriters.org first if you would like to register by mail.

SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on March 22 at 9:00 a.m.
→ MORE INFORMATION

MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION






Earlier Event: March 31
The Clock Tells the Hour