Reading for writers: great plays - a taster

What is the course about?

Over two sessions, students will read great scenes from famous playwrights and unpack their approach to the craft through practical in-class writing assignments. The course sets up students well for the full six-week Reading for Writers fortnightly course, which covers a journey across different modes of playwriting, examining great plays from multiple eras.

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

The course will begin to examine a couple of classic plays to deconstruct how they work on a craft level: for example, how have great writers from different eras approached questions of structure, character etc? The focus is on nuts-and-bolts construction of a dramatic script, informed by earlier great writers.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- understand how writers in different eras approached the creation of character
- identify key choices made by writers of different eras in structuring their plots
- apply these approaches to your own creative writing work.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is an introductory class; no previous expertise is needed, just a keen enthusiasm to read scripts and readiness to try your hand at doing short writing exercises.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

Class will be taught using in-class discussions and writing exercises; students will be asked to read a play between sessions.

City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

There are no further costs. All scripts for assigned plays will be provided by the tutor.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

You might want to continue with the longer, fortnightly course, Reading for Writers: Great Plays, or move into Ways into Playwriting to begin your playwriting journey. If you already have some play-writing experience, you could try one of our Advanced Playwriting courses.