CRITICALLY acclaimed playwright Alan Harris is adding his support to the forthcoming Write On Festival and giving a series of workshops offering a unique opportunity to writers.

If you’ve never written for the stage before, or you want to give your writing an intensive but enjoyable re-boot, then these workshops are a must.

Alan Harris, who has worked extensively with theatre companies including Pentabus, Hijinx, The Sherman, Paines Plough, The Operating Theatre Company and the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, will be working with writers to help them develop their best work for the stage.

With a mixture of practical exercises and discussions, participants will be supported and guided through the essentials of what makes good dramatic writing.

The workshops will cover a range of subjects: where do ideas come from, what do you do with them, how do you build and develop character and work it into your story; dialogue and form and structure.

Finally, participants will look at ‘what’s your play about?’, the importance of re-writing; and the finer points of ensuring that the work is ready for production, the loose ends and practicalities of getting a play to the stage.

Alan Harris’s play A Good Night Out in the Valleys launched the new National Theatre Wales, 2010 and he is currently writing a new play for the company. As a librettist, he is returning to Welsh National Opera’s MAX department to work on a new opera, The Hidden Valley, and is also developing a new contemporary opera following two successful workshop weeks at the Young Vic, London. He has also written for BBC Radio 4’s Afternoon Play and is the recipient of a platinum Koestler award and the prestigious Creative Wales Award.

The workshops run on Saturdays, May 11, 18 and 25, 10am to 5pm, at The Courtyard. If you sign up by Friday, May 3, the discounted cost of £60 for all three sessions, including parking, applies, rising after that to £75. To book, call The Courtyard box office on 01432 340555.