Playwriting for Teens with Ellen Peterson
Ellen Peterson has been a Winnipeg playwright, dramaturg, actor, producer and visual artist for over 40 years. Ellen’s plays have been produced by Theatre Projects Manitoba, Prairie Theatre Exchange, the Popular Theatre Alliance of Manitoba, and in the Fringe. This January, Ellen will be sharing her expertise with MTYP’s students teaching Teen Playwriting! We asked Ellen about the playwriting process, creative risk-taking, and what teens can expect from her upcoming class.
What can teens expect from playwriting class?
The first stage of playwriting goes from the blank page or screen to the sharing of the first draft. We will be starting from scratch and writing very short plays, and the class will culminate in a low-pressure sharing session of the plays or excerpts.
Do students need previous writing or theatre experience to join?
Absolutely not! They can come in with no idea at all, or with something they’ve started. We start with easy writing practice with “prompts” to get the imagination warmed up and to discover what kinds of themes and styles each student is drawn to.
Are there any themes or questions that you like to revisit often in your work?
I find I often write about how human endeavor, all of it, strikes me as simultaneously silly, futile, and also deeply significant. I don’t often write realism but tend a little towards the absurd.
Why is playwriting a valuable skill for teens beyond theatre? What skills can playwriting support in school or other environments?
Playwrighting encourages a deep exploration of human relationships and dynamics. It requires us to sharpen our observation skills, and to explore and develop our own world views. It is also useful for anyone to practice putting their ideas into a form. Any form. Making art expands our humanity.
Sharing creative work and receiving feedback can be an intimidating process. How do you create an environment where students feel comfortable taking that risk?
The early writing practice sessions are designed to help students write in their own way, and discover what they like about their own work. No one in the course will have to share anything they aren’t comfortable sharing. Respectful listening and responding is a course goal, and responses are shaped to help the students realize their own vision, not meet a set of external standards. It is not possible to do it “wrong,” because even the most experienced playwright needs the feedback of colleagues. Each writer is working from their own level.
What do you hope students take away from the experience, beyond writing a play?
The joy of creating in a fun, safe place, which MTYP surely is. Increased confidence in their ideas and imaginative powers, and in themselves as artists. To learn to support and encourage their fellow artists in a constructive and caring way.
Teen Playwriting runs on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. starting January 15th. Click here to learn more and register!
