What WDW Offers:
- PLAYWRIGHTS WORKSHOPS & MASTER CLASSES
- DRAMATURGY
- DIRECTING
The workshops and master classes are given by the playwright Caroline Summerfield who is an experienced playwright and who also writes for radio and the screen. Her first novel, Letters of Junius, adapted from her stage play by the same name, made the top twenty for the Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award in 2016.
Caroline studied scriptwriting and directing at RADA and was awarded a Masters in Research in Playwriting by the University of Birmingham. Her play Prophecy was long-listed in 2016 for the Bruntwood; in 2017 for the Old Vic 12; and in 2018 made her a finalist for the Terence Rattigan Playwrights’ Award, long-listed for the London Bread and Roses Theatre’s Playwrights’ Award 2018 and listed for the top 15 plays for the Bristol Old Vic’s Open Submission. Also in 2018, her play Dead Girl Walking made the top six shortlist with the Finborough Theatre’s ‘Introduce Yourself’.
Caroline’s plays have been produced at London’s West End Studio Theatre the Jermyn Street, Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre, the Birmingham REP’s DOOR Theatre, Herefordshire Open-Air Theatre Canwood and this year’s 6th Stroud Theatre Festival.
Venue : The Suffolk Anthology Bookshop 17 Suffolk Parade Cheltenham
Price : £20 per 2 hour session. You pay on the day.
TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST CONTACT: casummerfield@btinternet.com
WORKSHOPS & MASTER CLASSES
- Finding Your Voice – An Introduction To Playwriting
- How to Shape and Structure A Play ?
- Structuring a Play Through Character
- The Function and Purpose of Characters
- Dialogue and How to Edit Your Script
- The Monologue/Solo Play
- The Writer in Research
- The Art of Adaptation
- Writing for Radio
- The Writer in Rehearsal
- Practical Exercise The Interview – Establishing A Character
- Practical Exercise – The Witness – The Art of Story Telling
- Practical Exercise – A Game of Consequences – Creating Dramatic Dialogue
- Practical Exercise – A Journey Through My senses – Pushing The Boundaries Of Your Writing
- Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House – writing unforgettable heroines.
- Making plays from newspaper stories
- Writing a political play
- How to re-write your play?
If you have a story to tell and love theatre, TV, film or radio plays, then my workshops are for you, whether you are a beginner or an experienced writer. My students have included absolute beginners, through to poets, novelists, postgraduates and PhD researchers – all have found them highly stimulating and enjoyable.
All workshops/ master classes include industry top tips. They are of two-hour duration. The first half considers theory and practice, the second involves practical writing exercises. They are held on Saturday mornings and afternoons at The Suffolk Anthology Bookshop 17 Suffolk Parade Cheltenham in blocks of four sessions. Home made tea coffee and cakes are available. If you are interested in joining these or trying one out, please email me at casummerfield@btinternet.com
What writers say about WDW workshops
“Outstanding, I wanted to write and write after the workshops”
“These workshops are exceptional”
“I learnt more at these workshops than I have ever learnt at any other workshop”
Writers attending these workshops have gone on to have their work broadcast, produced and published.
SATURDAY PLAYWRIGHTS’ AUTUMN WORKSHOPS MASTER CLASSES
NOW BOOKING:
Making plays from newspaper stories
In this very practically based workshop each participant will bring a newspaper article of their choice. I shall then provide you with a structural matrix for abstracting material from provide writers with the tools to unearth dramatic structure from research material and is particularly useful when having to write to commission. All participants should be prepared to introduce their newspaper stories.
Writing a political play
In this master class we will consider what is the political play, its development, forms and structure in contemporary political plays and how dramatists use timelines to create the dramatic axis for their plays.
How to re-write your play?
This workshop will offer practical guidance on how to approach the process of interrogating and re-drafting your play. It will also included a practical insight into working with dramaturgs.
A practical workshop on Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
In this practical workshop we shall consider how and why Ibsen continues to influence modern dramatists through examining his masterpiece A Doll’s House – still the most widely performed modern drama today. Participants should familiarise themselves with the story/plot of A Doll’s House. We shall also be reading the opening scene from my West End play, Chasing Ibsen. If you have a particular interest in the plays of Ibsen and/or a wish to write unforgettable parts for female actors then this is a workshop for you.
DRAMATURGY
Caroline is an experienced dramaturg and happy to review both first and subsequent draft stage scripts to help you achieve the final draft. She offers a read through and face-to-face meeting in which a dramaturgical overview of the script will be given followed by specific questions which are then discussed with you the writer. Caroline does not provide written reports but instead offers a Q&A discussion with the writer, which based on experience is so much more useful for the writer to produce a revised script. Her hourly charge is £35. If you have a script which you would like to discuss please do not hesitate to contact Caroline at : casummerfield@btinternet.com
DIRECTING
Caroline is an experienced director and is happy to direct professional productions at the ITC rate. If you have a project which you would like to discuss please do not hesitate to contact Caroline at : casummerfield@btinternet.com
