Winter 2005 Workshops at Writers & Books

Stage & Screen

See also:

Open Submissions for W&B and Geva Theater’s
11th Annual Regional Playwrights Festival

Screenwriting

• WA5-M50
• Eight Tuesdays, March 8 – April 26, 6:30–8:30 pm
• $139 W&B members / $159 general public
• Instructor: Paula Marchese

Have you ever wanted to

• Write a screenplay?
• Learn how to plot and plan your film?
• Demystify all of the elements of drama that unfold on the big screen?

Structure, moral argument, character building, conflict, plot points, dialogue, “visual writing,” the list goes on and on. The instructor will focus on these and many more issues including marketing. You will have an opportunity to share your work, watch film clips, and discuss various styles and approaches to modern filmmaking.

Appropriate for all levels of writing experience.

Don Juan in Hell: A Reader’s Theatre Experience

• Tuesday March 22, 7–9 pm
• $3 W&B members / $6 general public

George Bernard Shaw’s brilliant 1907 one-act play “Don Juan in Hell” (written as part of his grand work Man and Superman) deals with the characters from Mozart’s opera

• Don Juan Tenorio, the inveterate womanizer;
• Dona Ana de Ulloa, one of his many lovers;
• Don Gonzalo, her father, who was killed by Don Juan in a duel and whose statue haunted the reprobate thereafter;
• and the Devil himself.

But in this intellectual comedy, nothing is quite as it seems. The Devil is a charmer, the statue of Don Gonzalo visits Hell and begs to be allowed to stay, as he finds Heaven too dull; Ana is surprised that Don Juan is no longer enthralled by her; and Don Juan himself connives to get into Heaven because he finds the Devil too friendly!

“Don Juan in Hell” raises fascinating questions about the meaning of life and the vagaries of our existences, with the usual Shavian wit to make it all palatable. This Reader’s Theater version of Shaw’s play is based upon the famed Charles Laughton version of the 1950s. features. There will be plenty of time for discussion afterwards. A helluva good time is guaranteed!

• Tim Madigan as Don Juan
• Lee Anne Boswell as Dona Ana
• Bob Williams as the Statue
• George Campbell McDade as the Devil

Writing for the Stage: Playwriting Basics

• WA5-D14
• Ten Thursdays, January 20 – March 24, 7– 9 pm
• $179 W&B members / $199 general public
• Instructor: Monica Hiller

This course is for people who love to watch, read, and write plays. The instructor will talk about what makes a “good story,” how to create intriguing characters, lasting images, and how to make use of technical elements such as stage space, sound, and lights.

This is an intensive ten-week study meant to inspire, encourage, and inform either beginning or more experienced playwrights eager to learn and improve. The workshop will culminate in a night of staged readings. Participants may need to procure a few materials for this course, e.g., plays or scripts, TBA by the instructor.

Writing for Performers

• WA5-D15
• Four Wednesdays, February 2–23, 6:30– 8:30 pm
• $72 W&B members / $80 general public
• Instructor: Ned Bobkoff

Writing monologues and dialogues provides opportunities for both writers and performers to take risks through actions that reveal character.

As a writer, what do you want performers to know about the characters you create? The emphasis in this workshop will be on developing characters who reveal circumstantial evidence about where they are and what is happening to them.

Bring a work in progress that you would like to improve, and come prepared to write new material with which you may want to experiment. Participants should be ready to have fun by reading, writing, and acting, all in a positively charged, theatrical atmosphere.

This workshop is also open to performers who might like to develop a greater understanding of the writing process.

You are here > Home > Winter 2005 Seminars, Courses & Workshops > Stage & Screen