Hello! Welcome to Stagecraft: Fundamentals of Playwriting, the writing component of your Playwriting Journey. This course is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s theatre industry.
Stagecraft: Fundamentals of Playwriting provides insight into the work of a scriptwriter – a deep understanding of live storytelling and professional scripts, short-form and full-length scripts, professional working practices, and employment strategies. Specific topics range from story structure and formatting scripts to actually staging the play.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the basic plot structures, character archetypes, and genres of plays
- Construct a stageplay using industry-standard formatting
- Identify resources for developing a play past the first draft
- Understand the process for producing a play
Requirements
Coursework
Complete each lesson in the Stagecraft: Fundamentals of Playwriting course. As you progress through each lesson, make sure to press complete before moving on to the next.
Mentorship
You are in one of the following pair types. You pair type is listed on your GWN Portal profile.
- Mentor/Mentee: Meet 2-3 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.
- Peer-to-Peer: Meet 2 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.
Engagement Types
Please attend at least one table read workshopping/critique [select dates in advance] and at least one live event related to the theatre industry.
- College and Career Chats
- Workshopping/Critique
- Community Studio
Submissions
Submit a draft of a ten-minute play.
Engagement Dates
- October 15, 2024: Orientation Studio
- November 19, 2024: Theatre Industry Career Chat
- November 23, 2024: Workshopping/Critique 1
- December 28, 2024: Workshopping/Critique 2
- January 6, 2025: Workshopping/Critique 3
- January 27, 2025: Workshopping/Critique 4
Please check the Announcements tab for information on upcoming live events.
Submissions
Check your email for the link to your folder in Google Drive. There, you can find instructions for formatting a Google Doc. If you decide to use other software, you can upload the script (preferably as a PDF) to your folder. Your ten-minute play is due January 31. If you’d like to submit something for publication on the GWN website or the anthology, go to this link (girlswritenow.org/stories/submit/) for instructions on submitting material through the portal.
