Description
Seven Mondays, Oct 26–Dec 7, 5:45–7:45 p.m. (5:45–9:45 p.m. on Dec 7)
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants
Hybrid workshop*
Whether or not you’ve caught the theatre bug, certain skills from the world of playwriting can serve you well in multiple forms of literary creation: well-developed characters; crisp yet believable dialogue; a sense of a story in forward motion…. With a blend of craft talks, readings, and viewings, and hands-on exercises in every class, veteran playwright and translator Leanna Brodie will unpack what writing for the stage can teach us about writing for the page.
- Time, Space, Bodies: What Makes a Play? – After a brief introduction, we will dive right into exploring the basic elements of theatre. What separates playwriting from other kinds of creative writing, and what do they have in common?
- Building Character – How do playwrights think about character? How is our thinking shaped by our relationship to actors and directors? When approaching character in your written form of choice, how might you benefit from an actor’s skill set as well as a playwright’s?
- Firing Up Action – How do playwrights (and our screenwriting cousins) set up narratives that propel the audience forward? Where do our methods differ? And how can you adapt our best strategies to tell stories through the written word?
- Crafting Dialogue – How do dramatic character, action, and dialogue shape each other, and how do poetry and humour influence them all? What’s the relationship between text and subtext? What does writing dialogue for actors have to teach us about writing dialogue for readers?
- Wrapping Up – Final thoughts and questions. Writers will have an opportunity to share a 10-minute section of a piece they have been working on during this class, whether a dramatic scene or a literary form that makes use of theatrical elements such as characters and dialogue. We will also discuss resources for further exploration.
Once you have registered for this workshop, please send the following by email to john@qwf.org:
- A brief writing-focused bio or resumé.
- A brief description (around 100 words) of what you are working on these days… or would like to be working on.
The subject line should read “For Leanna Brodie.”
*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot, contact John at john@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you.
Workshop leader
Leanna Brodie is an award-winning, nationally-produced playwright. Salesman in China, co-written with Jovanni Sy, premiered in 2024 at the Stratford Festival and the National Arts Centre to great acclaim: the Globe and Mail called it “a brilliant new play, fully ready to take the world’s stages by storm.” Her modern Canadian classic, Schoolhouse, just received a major revival at the 4th Line Theatre. Brodie is also a leading translator of Québec and Franco-Canadian plays. She has taught playwriting at UBC, Concordia, and in workshops across the country. Awards: Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Award (twice); Dora Mavor Moore Award; QWF Prize for Playwriting.
