Scene Shop with Will Dunne

Hone your next full-length play to a razor’s edge. Led by venerable instructor Will Dunne, author of The Dramatic Writer's Companion, “Scene Shop” is a peer-based workshop designed to help experienced playwrights in search of guidance as they navigate the new terrain of their latest play. Each self-contained weekly session is tailored to the individual needs of workshop members and offers character, scene, and story tools to help them craft the specific play they are working on right now. Each session also comes equipped with professional actors who read scenes that the writers bring from home so they can hear their work off the page and get comments from the group. The goal is always to enrich the strengths of the writers and help them craft the strongest play possible in a safe, constructive setting. Twice a year, workshop members become eligible to present their work publicly in the Scene Shop Showcase in which selected excerpts from plays in progress receive staged readings in the Russ Tutterow Theater. Helmed by professional directors and actors, this event allows playwrights to see their work come to life in front of an audience. Now in its 12th year at Chicago Dramatists, Scene Shop is an ongoing resource that doesn't have to end when the quarter does. Many long-term members use the workshop regularly to write and revise their scripts. A choice of three weekly sessions is available: Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings, or Saturday afternoons. Join in. Fill the page.