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ABOUT PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS
| Q. | | May I receive a private consultation if I don't live in or near your San Francisco office? |
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| A. | | Yes. Will Dunne can conduct private consultations with writers anywhere in world via Internet, telephone, fax, or mail. Writers in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the Chicago area also have the option to meet with Will in person to discuss their work.
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| Q. | | What do I need to have ready for a private consultation?
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| A. | | That depends on your goal. You may want to focus only on a story idea, outline, treatment, or problem scene with one-on-one support from Will Dunne. Or you may wish to receive a script evaluation of a completed play or screenplay draft that you want to develop further.
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| Q. | | What form does the feedback take?
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| A. | | Consultations can be customized to your individual needs and budget. Typically, the main feedback on the script is the one-one-one discussion of it with Will. This is reinforced by general summary comments and specific page-by-page comments written on the script itself. You also have the option to request a set of formal written comments instead of, or in addition to, the discussion of the script with Will.
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| Q. | | How much does a private consultation cost?
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| A. | | Consultation fees are billed at a rate of US$90 per hour. The total fee for a service depends on how many hours are required to perform it. Consultations may range from one hour to several, depending on your needs and budget, and can be scheduled individually or on a regularly recurring basis.
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| Q. | | What is the average cost for a critique of a full-length play or screenplay?
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| A. | | The time it takes to critique a script depends on the subject matter, text density, page count, and writing professionalism. On average, it takes about 4.0 Hours to read, analyze, and annotate a full-length script, and about 1.50 Hours to discuss it with the writer, for an average critique time of 5.50 Hours and an average fee of US$495 (5.50 Hours X $90).
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| Q. | | Are there are any other costs besides the consultation fee?
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| A. | | No, except for the cost of postage on the self-addressed, stamped envelope you include with your submission for the return of your script. All long-distance telephone fees are included in the consultation fee.
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| Q. | | How do I obtain a private consultation?
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| A. | | Just email us now or call (415) 609-8670 to obtain a private consultation that best fits your needs.
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ABOUT WORKSHOPS
| Q. | | What happens in a Story Weekend workshop?
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| A. | | Designed for playwrights and screenwriters now working on a script or about to begin one, this unique weekend intensive offers in-depth writing exercises, actor support, and group discussions of your work plus eligibility to participate in our New Writers/New Works staged reading series. The program usually includes three weekend sessions each quarter. Each is self-contained so that you can sign up for one, two, or all three sessions. Many writers use Story Weekend as an ongoing resource for script development.
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| Q. | | What type of script can I work on?
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| A. | | Any type of dramatic script -- such as a stage play, screenplay, or radio play -- of any size -- from one act to full-length. You choose your genre, subject, and style.
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| Q. | | What can I expect to accomplish?
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| A. | | That's up to you. The workshop offers an in-depth writing exercise on Saturday morning to help you write a new scene for your script, and gives you the opportunity to hear two previously written scenes read by actors and discussed by the group. (Some writers on Sunday afternoon present the scene they wrote on Saturday morning). Each workshop also offers a global exercise to help you see the "big picture" of your characters and story.
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| Q. | | Can I use a laptop during the writing exercises?
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| A. | | You're welcome to use whatever writing tools you choose. Some writers prefer laptops. Some prefer pen and paper. And many use a combination of tools as they move from initial exploratory steps to actual scene writing.
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| Q. | | Is Story Weekend mostly for playwrights or screenwriters?
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| A. | | The program attracts both types of dramatic writers since we focus on character development and story structure issues common to both forms. In most workshops, the majority of writers in the group are playwrights.
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| Q. | | What is a Weekend Pass?
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| A. | | Designed for beginners and other observers, a Weekend Pass lets you audit any or all Story Weekend workshop activities. You can follow along during writing exercises, observe scene readings and critiques, and meet a great group of Bay Area writers and actors in the process. The cost of a Weekend Pass is $60 per weekend.
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| Q. | | What happens in a Shorts workshop?
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| A. | | A self-contained creative weekend experience, each Shorts workshop uses theme elements and step-by-step writing exercises to guide you through the process of writing a short play, from blank page to completed draft, to a reading by Bay Area actors. While the workshop is designed for experienced playwrights, it has been successful with confident beginners and can be a great boost for writers who feel blocked, or rusty, or just want a writing change of pace. It's fun, it's creative -- and it all happens in one weekend!
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| Q. | | Where do these workshops meet?
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| A. | | In the downtown San Francisco theatre district at the Phoenix Theatre Annex, Fourth Floor, 414 Mason Street, near Geary.-- about a block from Union Square.
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| Q. | | When do these workshops meet?
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| A. | | From 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday (with a one hour lunch break) and 1 to 5 PM on Sundays. The door opens 30 minutes before each workshop begins.
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| Q. | | When does the next workshop begin?
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| A. | | Story Weekend workshops are usually offered monthly on an ongoing basis. Shorts workshops are offered periodically. Check the current workshop schedule to find out what's being offered now. and the future workshop schedule to see what's ahead.
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| Q. | | Have any scripts had a life beyond the workshop?
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| A. | | Over the past 19 years, many workshop scripts have received honors and awards in national competitions such as those sponsored by the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Sundance, Independent Spirit Awards, Writer's Digest, and Fade In Magazine. Some scripts also have generated honors and awards in local competitions as well as grants from the California Arts Council and Marin Arts Council. Many works have gone on to production. In addition, excerpts from selected works-in-progress are presented publicly in the New Writers/ New Works staged reading series. Public staged readings of completed drafts are facilitated on an as-needed basis.
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| Q. | | How much does a workshop cost?
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| A. | | Check the current workshop schedule for workshop fees. You can save up to $70 if you sign up in advance for a series of three Story Weekends. Tuition payment plans also are available for series members.
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| Q. | | How do I sign up for a workshop?
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| A. | | Email us now or call (415) 609-8670 to request enrollment in the workshop of your choice. If space is available, you can reserve your spot with a nonrefundable deposit toward the tuition amount. Workshops tend to fill in advance, so plan ahead and sign up early for the workshop you want.
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| Q. | | After the deposit, when is the tuition balance due?
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| A. | | When you arrive for your first workshop session. You may pay either by check or in cash. And, if you prefer to pay the balance in installments over an extended period of time, tuition payment plans are available.
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