WRITERS’ ROOM WORKSHOP: READINGS & CRITIQUES OF SCRIPTS

WRITERS’ ROOM WORKSHOP: READINGS & CRITIQUES OF SCRIPTS

An online Play Cafe workshop with writer-producer Rick Toscan, August 18, 12:30PM – 2:30PM Pacific Time (8:30PM-10:30PM BST/London)

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Play Cafe’s Writers’ Room Workshop offers you the chance to hear and develop the first three pages of your script in a reading by professional performers. With contemporary streaming audiences bailing out of shows that fail to grab them in the first few minutes and professional script readers making decisions to pass or continue reading after only a few pages, we know those opening pages are critical for engaging audiences and decision makers. And we nearly always see editing issues undermining those first pages repeated throughout a script. Rick will compare your submitted script to a draft incorporating his suggested edits. The revised draft will then be read by our performers. Critiques of these opening pages will offer a practical guide for editing the full script. The Workshop is open to all levels of experience whether you’re coming from theatre, film and television, audio drama, or are just curious about the techniques of dramatic writing. The markup and edited drafts will be returned to you following the Workshop.

AUDITORS:

Auditors are welcome to participate in the Workshop if you don’t want to submit a script but are interested in the critique process. Critiques will offer editing suggestions that auditors can apply to their own writing.

ABOUT RICK TOSCAN:

Rick is a writer-producer who has worked with Lucasfilm, the BBC, and major figures in theatre, film, and television. Millions of listeners have heard his audio dramas on the BBC, ABC (Australia), CBC (Canada), NPR and Pacifica (US). He was an Armstrong Award nominee for his audio productions. His plays have been produced in Los Angeles and presented by New Dramatists (New York) and other theatres. He’s been a reader and judge for play and screenplay competitions and writers he’s coached have won the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. He was a founding member of First Stage, the Los Angeles new play development program, and served as Dean of USC’s School of Theatre and Associate Dean of its School of Cinema-Television. He’s the author of the handbooks Playwriting Seminars 2.0 in its revised 2nd edition and Writing Audio Drama. Rick consults on story structure and dialogue with clients writing for theatre, film, episodic tv, and audio.

REGISTRATION – Ticket URL: https://www.playcafe.org/event-details/writers-room-workshop-readings-critiques-of-scripts

Choose your level of registration, either as a WRITER or AUDITOR. The fee to participate as a WRITER is $32 for Play Café members and $40 for non-members. Register early! Only the first 10 scripts submitted will be read and critiqued. After registering you will be sent SCRIPT EXCERPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. Scripts will be due no later than July 28, 2024. Scripts must be limited to two characters or three, if that one is a bit part, as only two actors will be reading. Write to programs@playcafe.org to request the Play Café member discount.

An unlimited number of AUDITORS may register. That registration fee is $10 for Play Cafe members and $15 for non-members.   Write to programs@playcafe.org to request the Play Café member discount.