A playwriting workshop also suitable for other genres and derived from widely accepted practice in dramatic writing. A play usually arises out of a defined conflict shaped by the wants and needs of its characters. Central to the conflict are perceptions of the related ideas of status and stasis. After a discussion of status and stasis, their relationship to one another, and to the central conflict, the workshop will conclude with some writing exercise based in part on Keith Johnstone’s status improvisations.
Paul Edwards is a writer, director, and professor emeritus in Communication Arts at Western Colorado University. During his 31 years at Western he taught courses in nearly all areas of theatre and performance, directed and wrote dozens of plays, was Director of the Theatre program for many years and twice served as Chair of the Communication Arts, Languages and Literature Department. He most recently wrote and directed the one-act “A Difficult Delivery” for CBMT’s 10-Minute Solo Play Festival Summer Wedding and directed the sold-out production of Justin Haigh’s version of A Christmas Carol. He is currently directing Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar and Grille for the CBMT. Other directing projects with the CBMT include The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Proof, Rabbit Hole and the 2019 production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Currently, he is Artistic Director of the Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, and board vice-president of Vita Institute for the Arts.
