Writing Plays for Young People: How to Write for the Biggest Market Nobody Knows About OnDemand Webinar

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

Today's young people are tomorrow's audiences and theatre makers. They're hungry for great plays, and there isn't nearly enough quality material being written for teens and children. With a market that spans schools and theatres worldwide, the chances of production are exponentially higher, and a successful play can earn thousands of dollars. But that means not only mastering basic playwriting skills, but also developing a specific understanding of how to write for young actors and audiences.

Jonathan Dorf's plays for young people have been produced more than 1000 times, including in every state in the US and more than a dozen countries. He co-founded YouthPLAYS, a publisher of plays for young actors and audiences that represents over 300 plays and musicals, and as a teacher and script consultant, he's been guiding writers from Arizona to Australia toward production and publication for two decades.

He'll share some of the techniques, tips and tricks on the craft that will help accelerate your learning curve, and just as important, he'll offer his practical insights into what makes a play successful in the youth market.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• How to come up with ideas
• The playwriting basics: character, structure, setting, dialogue and stage directions
• Important characteristics of plays for young actors and audiences
• The varied types of plays under the "theatre for young audiences" tent
• Important practical elements of successful scripts
• Connecting to the youth market and marketing your work to schools, theatres and publishers

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Playwrights who have been afraid to try writing for young people.
• Playwrights looking to branch out and take on a new challenge.
• Playwrights who love to write ambitious, large cast shows.
• Teachers who want to write plays for their students but don't know where to start.
• Playwrights committed to developing future audiences and theatre-makers.
• Anyone who believes that young people deserve compelling, challenging material to view and perform.
• Screenwriters and fiction writers for young audiences who want to cross-train.
• Those who work with young people in other arenas (for example, social services) and want to harness theatre's transformative power.