In 2022 I got interested in writing plays. I took courses from George Brown College and Toronto Metropolitan University. In 2023 I did a Graduate Certificate in Playwriting from the Humber School for Writers. Now I am a retired researcher so I attack things as a research project. My grad school project was to write a full length audio drama (think old time radio drama) called After.
A murdered young man discovers that a dead hooker can help him make sense of the afterlife, especially when he realizes his killer has followed him into death.
The obstacle I found was getting a full-length play produced was a challenge, but I noticed many “Short Play Festival” calls for entry. A short play has three main characteristics:
- It should be 10 or fewer minutes long
- It should have four or fewer characters
- It should require no elaborate costumes, set or props.
Sounds simple, but as Mark Twain wrote, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” I quickly learned that writing a short play was fun but challenging. The 10-minute play “Dear Angie” took my wife and me about 30 person hours to write. We have had some success.
- May 11, 2024 – “Dear Angie” staged reading, Snapshots Short Play Festival at Theatre on the Ridge, Port Perry, Ontario.
Won Audience Choice - Jan 31, Feb 1,2, 2025 – “On The Edge” performed at Stage Right Theatrics‘ annual theatre festival 2025
- May 10, 2025 – “Recycled Revelations” staged reading, Snapshots Short Play Festival at Theatre on the Ridge, Port Perry, Ontario.
Won President’s Award
Through my journey, I found groups, organizations, websites and other resources. My purpose in designing this course is to teach the basics and provide a comfortable environment for participants to write a short play.
Class
- Perform a few one minute plays
- Play structure – dissecting several plays
- Script formatting with templates
- Groups of fellow playwrights
- Facebook Playwright Groups
- New Play Exchange (NPX)
- Playwrights Guild of Canada
- How to find short play festivals
- Students may bring a one page short script that can be read and discussed in the class.
This website is the documentation for the course. My hope is to build a group of local playwrights and for Celebration of the Arts to host a short play festival this fall.