FREE WORKSHOPS
with industry professionals
We run at least six workshops a year, often more, inviting a wide range of fantastic guest professionals along to engage and enlighten us in topics including…
• The nuts and bolts of scriptwriting
• Writing for specific genres
• Writing for different media
• Adapting others' stories for stage or screen
• Presenting your work and getting commissioned
• Working as a script editor or a staff writer
Workshops are usually held on Saturdays at Leeds Playhouse from 11am to 4pm, and they’re absolutely free for members.
WORKSHOP DIARY 2024
Tips & tricks for staging your own play with Dick Bonham
Wednesday 24th April
7.30pm online via Zoom
Leeds legend Mr Bonham is what one might call a veritable impresario! Via his production company Little Mighty and his fabulous venue in Farsley, The Old Woollen, he has been bringing theatre, comedy and live music to the world for decades. If you're keen to learn how to produce your own work, now's your chance to tap into his wealth of experience.
The Zoom link will be shared in the SYchat group prior to the event
How to write a gripping monologue with Cheryl Martin
Saturday 18th May
11am to 4pm @ Leeds Playhouse
Would you like to write the kind of compelling monologues that have audiences leaning in instead of zoning out, and actors clamouring to be your bestie? Award-winning director, writer and performer Cheryl will show you how! She'll guide you in developing characters with complex life histories, creating worlds for them that will keep your audience hooked from first line to last.
Cheryl is the new artistic director of Red Ladder. She recently moved to sunny Yorkshire after directing stints at Contact Theatre and the Royal Exchange in Manchester. Her first show for Red Ladder, Sanctuary, will tour nationally this autumn.
Cheryl also co-founded Black Gold Arts, which won Best Event at the 2024 Manchester Culture Awards. She was guest curator for Homotopia in Liverpool in 2018, and her first poetry collection, Alaska, was longlisted for the 2015 Polari Prize.
Booking window opens 4th May via the Events tab in your member account
Writing for radio with Jonathan Hall
Tuesdays 11th & 25th June and 9th July
7.30pm online via Zoom
These three online training sessions will help you hone your chops and get into the right headspace for entering our annual radio drama competition... or for crafting your own podcast series, why not?
Run by our very own Chair Jonathan (a seasoned writer of radio plays, with his BBC Radio series Trust now in its third season), each week's workshop will build your skillset in writing for listeners, and give you the confidence to submit your work!
The Zoom links will be shared in the SYchat group prior to the event
Writing for television with Ian Kershaw
Saturday 5th October
11am to 4pm @ Leeds Playhouse
It's been seven years since we were last lucky enough to entice the illustrious Ian Kershaw over the Pennines to run a TV-writing workshop for us. Waaaay too long, in our book, but when you've seen his writing CV, you'll understand he's a man in demand!
We'll have more detail on what Ian's planning to cover in his workshop nearer the time. Until then, save the date.
Booking window opens Saturday 21st September via the Events tab in your member account
HOW TO BOOK
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Numbers are limited to 20 writers per workshop.
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To attend, you must be a current paid-up member of Script Yorkshire. Join us!
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Tickets are bookable via the events page in your Script Yorkshire account, and the booking window opens on the Saturday two weeks before the workshop date.
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If the workshop is full, you can add yourself to the waiting list and you'll get an email if someone drops out.
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If you book a ticket and discover you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket as soon as you possibly can via your account so another writer will have the chance to come along.
PAST WORKSHOPS
2024
23 March: How does telly work? with Lisa Holdsworth
2023
10 January: The Proactive Writer with Jonathan Hall
11 February: Devising theatre with Actors with Lucy Campbell
18 April: Writing for radio with Oliver Emanuel
20 May: Writing & pitching a TV drama series with Jade Jones
17 June: Podcasting for scriptwriters with Pods Up North
14 October: Producing your own work with Gordon Meredith
2022
26 January: Reconnecting With Our Creativity with Script Yorkshire's workshop team
26 March: Writing Film Scripts with Julian Woodford
23 April: How To Put On Your Own Play with Dick Bonham
12 November: Writing a theatre play with Tom Wells
2021
11 & 18 January: How to Catch Ideas with James Moran
15 & 22 February: Shoot Your Script with a Smartphone with Wayne Sables
22 April: Unlock Your Creativity with Emma Adams
22 May: Sitcom writing with Bennett Arron
15 July: The First Ten Pages with Tom Needham
2020
8 February: Has it Got Legs? with Ola Animashawun
29 February: Writing for Video Games with Steve Ince
14 July: Writing for Radio Part 1 with Oliver Emanuel
18 August: Writing for Radio Part 2 with Oliver Emanuel
8 September: Writing for Radio Part 3 with Oliver Emanuel
7 November: How to Start a Podcast with Pods Up North
2018
27 January: Creative Kickstart with Ola Animashawun
10 February: Horror Writing Workshop with James Moran
17 February: Scriptwriting Essentials 1 with Lisa Holdsworth and Alison Hume
17 March: Scriptwriting Essentials 2 with Lisa Holdsworth and Alison Hume
28 April: Thriller Writing with David Allinson
26 May: Plays That Kick Ass with Ola Animashawun
16 June: How to Write for Radio Drama Q&A – Chris Reason, Gary Brown, Kamal Kaan, Everal Walsh
15 September: Using Historical Research in Story-driven Drama with Ciaran Bermingham
3 November: Writing Radio-ready Drama with Stefan Escreet
2017
18 March: Writing for Film with Jimmy Richards
27 May: Script Editing Workshop with Alison Hume
8 July: Adaptation Workshop with Martin Jameson
23 September: Writing for TV with Ian Kershaw and Debbie Oates
11 November: Writing Comedy Workshop with Toby Hadoke
16 January: Creative Workout with Emma Adams
13 February: Producing New Writing with John Tomlinson
7 May: Writing for Radio Drama with Chris Reason
16 July: How to Get Ideas from Absolutely Anywhere with Dan Bye
10 September: Ways to Use Autobiographical Material in Creating Drama with Matt Miller
5 November: Creating Drama from Original Sources with Vanessa Rosenthal
26 November: AGM/Writing and Producing TV Q&A/Christmas social
WORKSHOP ETHOS
It’s very important that our workshops are events at which people feel safe and included and can share their work without prejudice, regardless of their age, race or gender.
We ask that our members always show respect to each other in a mutually constructive and supportive way.
