Write Your First Full Length Play with Steve Harper: 8 Week Course

Written by Steve Harper

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Theatre503’s flagship writing course, to support you in writing your first full length play, led by Literary Manager, Steve Harper.

Our course will provide a structured exploration at pivotal stages of the process and incorporate discussion, exercises and shared experience around particular points in the process directly in response to the work you are creating throughout.

Acknowledging that not one given process works for all writers, we aim to explore as many alternative processes as possible. Writers will be encouraged to explore and share their own experiences of what has been useful and what has got in the way, with the course providing a space within which to reflect on these with guidance on how we might best draw on these experiences to inform our writing processes going forward.

Dramaturgical support will be woven throughout the process, with awareness that all writers processes are bespoke. In this sense, whilst structured, we will also have the flexibility to provide different levels of dramaturgical support to individual writers at different stages of the process. Please note we cannot commit to an ongoing dramaturgical relationship with any pieces that may develop on this course, or commit to a production. However we will offer an open and honest discussion with all participants about possible next steps for their work, recommendations of other development opportunities that might be of benefit, and guidance to where their work may best be suited in terms of future engagement.

It is important to consider that this is not an introduction to playwriting but a course that will provide opportunities to refresh our basic knowledge of the craft in direct relationship to our work and the objective of writing a play. It is a course aimed at helping those writers trying to move from writing short plays to full length work, or those who might have written some full length work and feel it would be helpful to have a structured and ongoing dramaturgical relationship throughout the process.

Session 1: Tuesday 16th September 2025, 19:00-21:30

Ideas

Session 2: Tuesday 23 September 2025, 19:00-21:30

Mapping Your Play

Session 3: Tuesday 30 September 2025, 19:00-21:30

Character & Character Journeys

Session 4: Tuesday 7 October 2025, 19:00-21:30

Scenes

Session 5: Tuesday 14 October 2025, 19:00-21:30

Dialogue/ Subtext

Session 6: Tuesday 21 October 2025, 19:00-21:30

Setting/Space

Session 7: Tuesday 28 October 2025, 19:00-21:30

Structure

Session 8: Tuesday 4 November 2025, 19:00-21:30

Tutorials / Feedback

If you have any access requirements, you can let us know by contacting filling out our Writer’s Programme Accessibility Form or contacting Theatre503 via our Writers’ Programme email, writersprogramme@theatre503.com or by calling 02079787040.

For further details of Theatre503 Accessibility, please visit the Access page of our website.

Thanks to our Share The Drama scheme, we want to make sure those of you who are struggling in the current climate can still take part in our Writers Programme. If you would like to book a Share The Drama bursary for the Writer’s Programme, please call our box office on 02079787040.

Steve Harper

Steve Harper heads the Literary Department of Theatre503. In the two decades he has worked at the venue he has been responsible for identifying and supporting over 1,000 debut playwrights and helping to start their career. He co-created the 503Five initiative and Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. He has developed an outstanding reputation for matchmaking writers, directors and producers including putting together the team that delivered the Olivier Award winning Rotterdam.