Ever wanted to make your own theatre production? Write On! A Coast Youth Playwriting Project wants to help.
An exciting playwriting contest for youth opens Feb. 1, with only one restriction: keep it under 20 minutes.
The winning plays will be read and workshopped with award-winning playwright Marcus Youssef (recent winner of the prestigious Siminovitch Prize). The youth playwrights will then have the opportunity to direct and work with youth teams to build their own fall production, coming together in a joint November 2018 performance.
Driftwood Players is offering a free Intro to Playwriting Workshop on Feb. 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Gibsons Public Library, for interested youth playwrights. It will cover basic playwriting structure and be led by local playwrights Mary Burns and David King. It is optional for the interested youth playwrights to attend, but it would certainly be useful.
A series of free theatre workshops, led by local mentors, will guide interested youth up to the full production in November. Young people are invited to participate in the whole program, or only in the workshops of their interest. The full program is as follows:
• Feb. 9: Introductory Playwriting Workshop with Geran Capewell, David King and Mary Burns, Gibsons Public Library.
• Feb. 24: Producer Workshop with Bill Forst, Driftwood Players Producer. (All aspects of producing a play, including building a team, grant applications, forming a production calendar, budgeting, facility booking, paid advertising and social media, staffing the production, ticketing processes, wrap-up activities)
• March 31: Closing date for submissions.
• April 30: Winners announced.
• May 19: Marcus Youssef workshop (for selected plays).
• May: Stage managing and directing workshops.
• September/October: Stage-craft, lighting/sound, props/costumes, hair/make-up workshops
• November: Performances.
To submit your play, sign up for a workshop, or for more information contact driftwoodplayers@
dccnet.com.
There is no charge for any of these workshops. Organizers acknowledge the financial support of the province of British Columbia and the Gibsons Public Library for their support.
– Submitted by Radhika Samwald
