Writing from The Heart

"Writing from The Heart" is a workshop on creative writing, creative drawing, and creative drama. There are three available versions of this workshop: one for beginners on the secondary, tertiary, and graduate levels, and another for practitioners. A third version of this workshop is designed as an outreach program to disadvantaged and underserved audiences such as the disabled, the poor and the marginalized, victims of human trafficking, battered women and abused children, drug rehabilitation center residents, child combatants, children in conflict with the law, prisoners, and gang leaders. This third version incorporates creativity and problem awareness, conflict resolution, crisis intervention, trauma therapy, and peacemaking.

Monday, September 8, 2014

When writing a play, do not feel compelled to make your characters talk all of the time.

1) A character talks only because he or she MUST DO SO, i.e., there is URGENCY behind the motivation to talk. Do not make your characters "warm up" or fill in gaps onstage by chit-chatting about the weather and other niceties.

2) Silences and pauses are passages of dialogue in themselves. Value them.

Study the plays of Harold Pinter, who is a master of stage silence.

Study also the plays of Anton Chekov, and the history and process of Konstantin Stanislavski's method acting.