Such a ‘Bler: The First Playwriting Workshop

I’m finally taking THTR 204 – Playwriting and wow has it been a treat! I have always been a writer at heart and though theatre is my minor and I’ve written a whole musical before, playwriting is still relatively new to me.

We have two workshops throughout this semester and the first of those was on Friday. Each playwright would submit their 5-7 page scene a week prior and then have them casted and read out in class during the workshop. And then, discussion would begin.

Each discussion is led by a student (who is not the playwright in presentation) who will ask the audience a short series of questions such as “what stood out about the scene/what was crucial to the scene?” and “what would you like to see more of?” After the group has exhausted the exploration, the spotlight would be turned over to the playwright who will ask and/or clarify anything they felt wasn’t cover or were still curious about.

It was nice to hear everyone’s voice, both through written words and through the readings. It occurred to me just how much a person’s voice can be found in the theatre/art they make, even if it’s just a short scene and even when they are not presenting it. The difference between each piece were so distinct and brought a refreshing start to the class each time we began a new read.

Our professor, Devon De Mayo stressed the importance of creating a safe space for our fellow writers. We even ran over ways to rephrase comments and suggestions such as saying “I crave…” instead of “I think you didn’t put enough emphasis on…” and I really appreciated that.

My turn is next Friday, and well I’m anxious and excited and everything all at once. But I know I’m in good hands.

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS!

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST: