Play workshop prepares for new Celebration of the Arts contest

Lisha Van Nieuwenhove

This fall, the Uxbridge Celebration of the Arts (COTA) is adding a “Short Play” Writing Contest to its list of events and activities . In preparation for this event, the COTA executive is offering a workshop on how to write a short play. A short play is considered to be no longer than 10 minutes in length.

The two-part workshop will be held on Saturday, March 15, and Saturday, March 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Uxbridge Public Library, and will be conducted by local, experienced playwright Rich Helms. In addition to taking courses at George Brown College and Toronto Metropolitan University, Helms completed a graduate certificate in playwriting from the Humber School for Writers.

Two of the plays Helms wrote with his wife, Dorothea, have been produced - one in Port Perry and the other in Dublin, Ohio.

“Many short play festival calls for entry limit the length to a maximum of 10 minutes. It may sound simple, but it can be a challenge,” says Helms.

Participants do not need previous playwriting experience to join. The first class is a tutorial covering play structure, script formatting, playwright groups, etc. The instructor and the participants will then dissect two short plays. For the second class, students will bring a one-minute (yes, that’s one-minute) play they’ve written to be read and discussed.

“It’s going to be fun,” Helms adds, “and we hope to awaken a passion for yet another branch of the arts.”

To register for the workshops, visit celebrationofthearts.ca