Will Dunne Dramatic Writing Workshops is one of the Bay Area's longest running story development programs. Designed for playwrights and screenwriters, the program currently features two types of weekend intensives: Story Weekend — offered monthly and supplemented by our New Writers/ New Works staged reading series — and Shorts workshops — offered periodically. Other special classes are also offered throughout the year.

Most workshops meet 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.

STORY WEEKEND
ONCE A MONTH, SATURDAYS 10 AM - 5 PM and SUNDAYS 1 - 5 PM
This unique series of story development weekends is designed for experienced playwrights and screenwriters who are working on a script and want guidance and feedback along the way.

Workshop members listen to new scenes read by local actors and give feedback to the writer.

Beginners and other observers can participate by purchasing a Weekend Pass that lets them follow along during writing exercises, and observe scene readings and critiques.

Each self-contained weekend offers a 10-hour blend of creative and analytical activities to help you develop your play or screenplay in a supportive environment.

You also become eligible for our New Writers/New Works staged reading series in which selected scene work is assigned to directors for casting and rehearsal, and presented to the public at local theatres.

Each weekend includes:

SATURDAY
10 AM - 1 PM	Scene Writing. Step-by-step guided writing exercises to spark new discoveries about your characters and story. Arrive with a rough idea of what might happen next in your script and leave with a completed scene.
1 - 2 PM	Lunch break
2 - 5 PM	Scene Reading and Analysis. Actor readings and group critique of a scene that you wrote before this weekend and want to evaluate.
SUNDAY
1 - 2 PM	Story Development. Global writing exercises to help you analyze and clarify the "big picture" of your story.
2 - 5 PM	Scene Reading and Analysis. Actor readings and group critique of either a second scene that you wrote before this weekend or the new one from the Saturday session

Story Weekend is offered three times each quarter and gives you the option to sign up for one, two, or all three weekends. Many writers use the program as an ongoing resource for script development.

You can receive a significant tuition discount if you sign up in advance for a quarterly series of three workshops. This level of enrollment also gives you the option to use a tuition payment plan to extend payment beyond the first session. See Workshop Schedule & Fees for further details.

STAGED READINGS
Founded in 1992, New Writers/New Works is a staged reading series that showcases the talents of emerging stage and screen writers by presenting directed and rehearsed excerpts from their works-in-progress before a public audience at a local theatre. As a member of the Story Weekend workshop, you gain opportunities to participate in the series and see your work on stage.

Writers on stage taking a bow after a New Writers/New Works staged reading at the Actors Theatre of San Francisco.

Each program features scenes from about a dozen writers, typically runs two hours, and attracts an audience of about 150. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Most programs are followed by a reception where writers, directors, actors, and audience members can interact informally to discuss the work.

In addition to the showcase, we facilitate staged readings of full-length scripts developed in the workshop. As a member, you can receive individual assistance with obtaining low-cost theatre space for your reading, finding the right director and cast, and bringing in an audience so you can get a useful response to your work.

THE SHORTS SERIES
WRITE A PLAY ON SATURDAY, SEE IT PERFORMED ON SUNDAY!
This unique, creatively focused weekend intensive offers simple theme elements, step-by-step writing exercises, group feedback, and actor support to trigger and guide the development of a new short play. Arrive on Saturday morning with absolutely nothing prepared and take a creative leap into the blank page. By late Sunday afternoon, you will have not only written a new play but seen it performed!

The workshop is designed for writers with some playwriting experience and has been successful with confident beginners. It also offers a boost for those who feel blocked, rusty, or just want a writing change of pace. Saturday play development runs from 10 AM to 5 PM (including a one hour lunch break). Sunday stage presentations run from 1 to 5 PM and include group comments.

SPECIAL CLASSES
The ongoing workshop program is periodically supplemented by special classes offered on a one-time or short-term basis. These classes focus on such areas as: in-depth script analysis of master plays and screenplays, improvisational writing as a tool for character and story exploration, and master classes for advanced writers.

LOCATION & LOGISTICS
Here are a few practical details about where we are located, the meeting room, parking, how to get there by public transportation, what to bring, and refreshments:

• Location: Phoenix Theatre Annex, Fourth Floor, 414 Mason Street in San Francisco. The Annex is located downtown in the Native Sons Building next to the Ruby Skye nightclub, just off the intersection of Mason and Geary - about a block from Union Square.

• Parking. On-the-street parking is difficult but possible if you allow extra time. Low cost parking (as low as $10 for the day) is available at nearby garages on Mason, Shannon Court, and Jones.

• Public Transportation. Centrally located near Union Square in San Francisco, the workshop is easy to reach by MUNI. The closest BART stop is Powell Street.

• What to Bring. Writing tools - such as a laptop or notebook and pen - for the writing exercises plus any scene work you want read. You have the opportunity to present one scene each day, or a longer scene on one of the two days of the weekend. For the best reading, bring one copy of the scene per character and use a yellow marker to highlight the character's lines.

• Refreshments. You may bring your own coffee, tea, soda, water, or light snacks.