WRITING AUDIO DRAMA FOR LIVE PERFORMANCE
A pair of online workshops presented by Rick Toscan
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
These linked workshops are designed to assist you in developing short audio drama scripts for Berkeley’s Actors Reading Writers submission opportunity for Play Cafe members based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Workshop 1 is limited to 10 participants as WRITERS. An unlimited number of AUDITORS may register. Registration is now open for Workshop 1. Registration for Workshop 2 will open in July.
The workshops are open to everyone but only Play Cafe members may apply for the submission opportunity. Link to membership: https://www.playcafe.org/membership
WORKSHOP 1: AUDIO DRAMA TIPS & TRICKS WITH SCRIPT REVIEWS – July 27 at 4PM Pacific Time.
For this workshop, participants will submit the first three dialogue pages of their scripts, the key pages for capturing audience engagement in audio drama. We’ll listen to readings with Rick’s edits of those opening pages by professional performers, giving you the opportunity to hear your audio dialogue come to life. Rick will then compare your draft with his suggested revisions for dialogue and structure, providing a guide for a full revised draft to be reviewed in Workshop 2.
Through analysis of participants’ script excerpts, we’ll cover the essentials of writing audio drama while also exploring techniques for live presentation with sound effects and musical accompaniment. Topics will include conceiving stories in sound environments; plot and scene structures in audio; visual aspects of audio storytelling; integration of environmental ambience, special effects, and score with dialogue; and audio adaptations of plays originally written for the theatre.
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 THE INSTRUCTOR
Rick Toscan 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 (UK & World Service), ABC (Australia), CBC (Canada), Pacifica and NPR (USA). He was an Armstrong Award nominee for his audio productions. A book on the making of his pioneering audio project with Lucasfilm was published in 2024. He’s the author of the widely used handbooks Writing Audio Drama and Playwriting Seminars 2.0. He consults on story structure and dialogue with writers working in theatre, film, episodic television, and audio drama.
REGISTRATION
Choose your level of registration, either as a WRITER or AUDITOR. The fee to participate as a WRITER is $32 for Play Cafe members and $40 for non-members. Register early! Only the first 10 scripts submitted will be read and critiqued. Play Café Members, write to programs@playcafe.org to request the discount code for the WRITER registration.
After registering you will be sent SCRIPT EXCERPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES and SCRIPT NOTES FOR WRITING AUDIO DRAMA. These materials will be sent from programs@playcafe.org. This email might land in a spam folder.
Scripts will be due no later than July 6, 2025. Scripts must be limited to two characters or three, if that one is a bit part, as only two actors will be reading.
An unlimited number of AUDITORS may register. That registration fee is $10 for Play Café members and $15 for non-members. Play Café Members, write to programs@playcafe.org to request the discount code for the AUDITOR registration.