The first rule of write club is that there are no rules
Reviewed at Holden Street Theatres on 23 February 2019
Presented by Molly Taylor and Holden Street Theatres
Award-winning writer and actor, Molly Taylor, is presenting the highly acclaimed Extinguished Things at the Holden Street Theatres this Fringe and is using some of her downtime to discuss the challenges and planning that go into writing a one-hour monologue for the stage.
The workshops are open to all, running 90 minutes instead of the advertised 60 minutes. Seated in a circle on the stage, the participants have the opportunity to listen, question and participate in exercises that can help the writing process.
The structure of the workshop is casual. Those in attendance are asked to write down questions at the start, and Taylor tailors (!) the workshop to answer most of the queries posed. She is articulate and intelligent in her thoughts and advice, but could have been better prepared by having a texta to write with, butchers paper on the wall instead of holding up sheets of paper in her hand, and not assuming at the start that everyone had seen her show. These are minor complications which should be remedied by the next workshop.
While there are no definitive answers to questions of process, finding ideas, or how to tell a story, Taylor considers many options in her workshop and provides some excellent food for thought and tools to help budding writers get started.
Writing a Dramatic Monologue is specifically about writing for the stage, not a novel or film, but many of the lessons can be adapted to other mediums. It is targeted towards those beginning their writing career or with an interest in dabbling and, for her target audience, it’s an investment well made.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Venue: The Studio, Holden Street Theatres, Holden Street, Hindmarsh
Season: 23 February 2019 and 2 March 2019
Duration: 90 minutes
Tickets: $20
More News
