✍️WORKSHOP: Let’s Play! Playwriting Essentials & Prompts w/ Beth Kander
** This is a LIVE workshop. Attendees will be sent a video recording after the workshop. **
What makes a play come alive on stage? And how can the tools of playwriting sharpen your storytelling—whatever form it takes?
Join playwright and author Beth Kander for a hands-on session exploring the craft and energy of playwriting. Through a mix of insights, examples, and guided prompts, Beth will introduce you to the essentials of writing for performance, from character and conflict to what she calls the “Crucial Cs.” Writers of all levels are welcome. No theatre experience required.
You’ll leave with new creative sparks, a stronger sense of dramatic writing, and at least one scene or character ready to develop further.
In this workshop, you will:
Learn what differentiates playwriting from prose and screenwriting
Discover practical tools for developing characters and conflict
Try a series of writing prompts designed to inspire new ideas
Draft a new scene or set of characters to build on after the session
Explore how playwriting techniques can strengthen all kinds of writing
No preparation needed—just bring something to write with (pen and paper or your computer) and your curiosity.
About Beth Kander
Beth Kander is a USA Today best-selling novelist and dramatist. Recently described as a “genre-defying author and playwright” (Oxford American), her writing often explores how worlds old and new connect—or collide. Beth was selected for the inaugural cohort of the Dramatists Guild Foundation’s National Fellows program (2024-2025), and is a two-time Henry Award winner for Best New Play or Musical. Her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, Writer’s Digest, Slackjaw, Frazzled, American Theatre, and elsewhere. Beth holds degrees from Brandeis University (BA), University of Michigan (MSW), and. Mississippi University for Women (MFA), where she serves as adjunct Creative Writing faculty. She currently resides in Chicagoland, and is lucky to live there with her favorite characters: her husband and their two hilarious kids.
✍️ Daily Writing. Inspiring Interviews. Creative Friends.
Join the London Writers' Salon from the comfort of your home.
Join our free daily Writers' Hour writing sessions, intimate interviews and workshops with world-class writers, or become a member to connect with fellow novelists, bloggers, screenwriters, playwrights, poets & more around the world.
Attend Salon Workshops for Free. Become a Member.
By becoming a member of London Writers' Salon, you'll get free access to interviews and workshops like this every week. Plus, you'll join our cosy online community and get expert support and accountability to enhance your craft and publish your best work.