The First Draft

Whether you're writing your first play or your hundredth, it's not always easy to set the creative wheels in motion. 

This 10-week class will guide you through the development of your first draft. Open to new and returning students located anywhere in the world, this class will be run just like a real-life writing room, interacting with your instructor and classmates live via Zoom.

This class might be for you if you:

• Are a playwright of any level looking to start the first draft of your new play.
• Are starting out in the world of playwriting or want to write your first play.
• Want concrete deadlines and constructive feedback to encourage you to get your ideas on the page.

In this class you will:

• Bring in new pages to hear them read aloud in class.
• Strengthen your writing skills with exercises and assignments from your instructor. Read about each section below to see which instructor might be the best fit for you
• Engage in discussion with fellow writers, making connections with your artistic peers.
  

By the end of this class you will:

• Have a solid start on—or even complete!—a first draft of a full-length play.
• Be ready for Rewriting Your Draft!

About the online platform for this class: 

Zoom Meeting is easy to start, join, and use to collaborate online in a personable way via desktop or mobile without complicated set-ups. The Zoom Meeting Host (your ESPA instructor or administrator) sends out a meeting link and at the time of your class, you just click the link to launch the virtual classroom via your web browser. In the Zoom Meeting, each participant can share their webcam so that you're not only hearing your instructor and classmates but seeing them too, making it feel similar to being in one of the studios at ESPA. 

Other exciting collaborative Zoom features include Breakout Rooms in which students can meet in smaller groups, "Raise Your Hand" feature to better facilitate balanced conversation, Video Sharing, and File Transfer for your assignments. If you can't log in via a computer, there are also options to phone into the meeting so you can still participate in the class even if you find yourself without computer or internet access. And Zoom has an Apple and Android app, making it possible to take part in class from any device.