Screenwriting and Playwriting Courses for Beginners
Turn your ideas into powerful scripts with City Lit’s beginner-friendly screenwriting and playwriting courses. Whether you dream of writing plays, TV scripts, or screenplays, our expert tutors will guide you through the essential techniques of dramatic storytelling.
Learn how to develop compelling characters, craft engaging dialogue, and structure scripts effectively. Our screenwriting courses for beginners will help you bring your ideas to life for film and television, while our playwriting courses for beginners will teach you how to create dynamic stage productions. Through practical exercises and supportive feedback, you’ll gain the confidence to shape your stories for the stage or screen.
Designed for beginners, these courses are ideal if you’re new to scriptwriting or looking to refine your skills in a collaborative and inspiring environment. Join a community of aspiring writers and start your scriptwriting journey today.
Explore our beginner writing for stage and screen courses and take the first step towards writing your own play or screenplay.
- Ways into screenwriting: getting started
Course start date: Sat 10 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alan NixonWant to write scripts but don't know how to start? Discover the basics of screenwriting - character, conflict and more - on this short course that will help you shape your ideas and get your story going.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Joke writing Course start date: Sat 17 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate SmurthwaiteUncover the workings of the classic one-liner, practise joke writing and find out what makes a good joke. Learn how to refine and develop your own writing skills for stand up, comedy writing and pleasure. - Ways into playwriting: getting started Course start date: Sat 26 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sharmila ChauhanExplore the fundamental techniques of writing for the stage in this introductory short course. Get to grips with dialogue, character, story and structure, and start work on your own play.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Screenwriting for feature film Course start date: Tue 5 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sharmila ChauhanHave you ever wondered what goes into writing a screenplay? How is it different from theatre, radio or prose? Learn the basics of the craft and develop a script of your own in this creative and analytical workshop. - Writing for podcasts Course start date: Sat 9 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Eleanor PennyPodcasts are growing rapidly in popularity, and more and more people are making their own. Find out more about all the different kinds of writing involved in producing a podcast, hone your skills and, with support from your tutor, develop your own ideas for audio.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing comedy for TV in the online age Course start date: Sat 16 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alan NixonDo you want to find out more about writing comedy? Explore some fundamental aspects of humorous scriptwriting for television, beginning with sketches, and looking at sitcoms from initial idea through to finished script.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Screenwriting: a taster Course start date: Mon 8 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Give screenwriting a try in this fun and supportive one-off taster session. Ideal if you want to unlock your imagination and express yourself, but need a bit of encouragement to get started.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £10.00 - Playwriting: a taster Course start date: Tue 9 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Nicole AcquahGive playwriting a try in this fun and supportive one-off taster session. Ideal if you want to unlock your imagination and express yourself, but need a bit of encouragement to get started.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Ways into screenwriting Course start date: Wed 7 May 2025 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Nico MensingaLearn to write for the screen on this practical, introductory course. Writing exercises, presentations and screenings will teach you key skills, and you’ll begin to produce work and an outline for a full-length project.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Ways into playwriting Course start date: Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Nicole AcquahExplore the fundamental techniques of writing for the stage in this introductory course. Get to grips with dialogue, character, story and structure, and start work on your own play.Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £120.00 - Comedy sketch writing Course start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Kate SmurthwaiteDiscover the art of creating a great comedy sketch. Study the brilliance of classic sketches and learn how to deploy their techniques in your own work.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Writing for television Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Clive FordDo you want to write a script for television? What do you write and where do you start? Through exercises and examples, this course will assist you in developing your own projects.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £125.00
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