OVER THREE DECADES OF NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT!
Founded in 1988, Will Dunne Dramatic Writing Workshops offers a wealth of proven support for playwrights and screenwriters, including complementary reference guides for script development and analysis, private script consultations for dramatic writers worldwide, in-person workshops for dramatic writers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and online workshops for dramatic writers anywhere.
USE THESE RESOURCES TO DEVELOP YOUR NEXT SCRIPT
Through the University of Chicago Press, Will Dunne now offers three unique nonlinear references guides that you can use to develop scripts at your own pace and in your own way:
The Dramatic Writer’s Companion (2009) features more than 60 workshop-tested tools that you can adapt to your individual needs as you write and revise. This best seller has already reached thousands of playwrights and screenwriters and is now available in a Second Edition (2017) which offers cross-references to related tools in the sequel Character, Scene, and Story.
Character, Scene, and Story (2017) complements The Dramatic Writer’s Companion with over 40 additional script development tools that can be used, as needed, in any order any time of times. Each is cross-referenced to related tools in The Dramatic Writer’s Companion. The two guides are each self-contained, but together they put over 100 script development tools in your hands.
The Architecture of Story (2016), helps you master the building blocks of dramatic storytelling by analyzing three award-winning contemporary American plays — Doubt: a Parable by John Patrick Shanley, Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, and The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl – and offering hundreds of questions to help you analyze your own work.
GET A PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUE OF YOUR PLAY OR SCREENPLAY
Regardless of your location, you can schedule private consultations with Will Dunne to obtain script evaluations or one-on-one writing advice conducted electronically, by telephone, by mail, or in person.
JOIN A WORKSHOP — ONLINE!
During the Coronavirus pandemic, all workshops are ONLINE on Zoom, a free and easy-to-use video conferencing service. Regardless of where you live, you can join a dramatic writing workshop that offers in-depth script development exercises, professional actor readings of your scene work, and group feedback and support. Check the workshop schedule for dates and fees of upcoming workshops, including the new online Writer’s Workout meeting on Sunday mornings!
WILL DUNNE: AN AWARD-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT
Will Dunne is an O’Neill playwright and dramaturg who has taught more than 2,000 dramatic writing workshops since 1988. His plays have received an array of awards and honors, and have been presented in Europe, Russia, and Australia as well as the U.S.
For an interview with Will on the play development process, check out “You Wrote a Play, But Now What?” which focuses on some of what happens between the first draft of a play and the first production. The interview was conducted by Carol Saller, copy editor of The Dramatic Writer’s Companion and author of The Subversive Copy Editor (both published by the University of Chicago Press).
WILL DUNNE DRAMATIC WRITING WORKSHOPS
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE - 2023
Winter 2023
JANUARY 7-8
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT
FEBRUARY 4-5
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT
MARCH 4-5
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT
Spring 2023
APRIL 1-2
Saturday, 10AM-5PM PT
Sunday, 1PM-5PM PT
MAY 6-7
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT
JUNE 3-4
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT
Summer 2023
Script Consultations: Individual help with your play or screenplay. Get feedback, as needed, on a completed draft, part of a draft, or story outline.
Script Consultations: Individual help with your play or screenplay. Get feedback, as needed, on a completed draft, part of a draft, or story outline.
Script Consultations: Individual help with your play or screenplay. Get feedback, as needed, on a completed draft, part of a draft, or story outline.
Fall 2023
OCTOBER 7-8
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT
NOVEMBER 4-5
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT
DECEMBER 2-3
Saturday, 10AM-4:30PM PT
Sunday, 12-4:30PM PT