Meetings: Third Sunday of each month 5:00-7:00PM
The TWS Playwrights Workshop provides the Theatre of Western Springs' Actives with the opportunity to develop their playwriting talents and skills. It continuously seeks to learn and practice the craft of dramatic writing, furnishes a supportive environment for critique or comment, and explores opportunities to realize production. Members of the TWS Playwrights Workshop have produced dozens of original works that have been produced at The Theatre of Western Springs and at other theatrical venues and events across the country.
We invite you to Discover, Explore, Experiment, and WRITE!
· Discover the essential principles of dramatic writing by reading established plays.
· Explore your unique voice through writing prompts and exercises.
· Experiment with different ideas, themes, and structures.
· WRITE because you have a need to get your story out into the world.
About our meetings:
There are two parts to our meetings; the first is a general discussion about things going on in our local theatre community and the industry as a whole (productions, playwriting opportunities, conferences, readings, and sharing of information); the second part is where TWS Playwrights bring in their new pages (work) to be read and workshopped by the entire group (usually in 10-page chunks or less). It’s during this segment where the group is led though a focused discussion and presented with educational components or craft recommendations that can be applied to the work.
Both parts of our meetings are important, but we give special attention to the workshop aspect. Quarterly, we have a segment called “Play Reading Club” where we concentrate on a single work by a master dramatist and pick it apart with both opinion and analysis.
If you are dry on ideas, writing prompts are provided each month to help generate new work.
Of course, you must maintain your full, yearly TWS subscription in order to be considered an Active in good standing.
TWS Playwrights Workshop Leadership:
Edward M. Pinkowski (Chair)
Edward is an award-winning poet and playwright, first appearing on Chicago stages in 1988. He is a graduate of DePaul University and earned his MFA in Creative Writing / Playwriting at Goddard College in Plainfield, VT. In addition to leading the TWS Playwrights Workshop since 2015, he has served as Lead Drama Editor for the national literary review CLOCKHOUSE for several years. He also leads the TWS Story Slam Writing Workshop and co-hosts the annual event. Professional memberships and affiliations include: The Dramatist Guild of America, Chicago Dramatists, Theatre of Western Springs, the Playwrights' Center, Phi Kappa Phi National Academic Honor Society, and ALSCW (Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers).
Judy DiVita (Asst. Chair)
Judy has been a member of the Theatre of Western Springs since 1997 and one of the founders of the TWS Playwrights Workshop in 2012. She has served on numerous committees throughout the years and has had her plays produced at TWS, while her directing credits span across the region. Judy is a graduate of Mundelein College/Loyola University where she earned a BA in Drama and has over 15 years of experience directing and producing public access programming for community television. Awards and recognition include Ambassador of the Year, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, Cammy Awards for Best Promotional Video and Best Musical Production, and the Theatre of Western Springs Spirit of the Theatre award.
If interested, please contact:
Edward M. Pinkowski, MFA Chair dziu2@yahoo.com
Judy DiVita Asst. Chair judy@divita.com
Playwright Georgette Kelly visit and discussion with TWS Playwrights Workshop 2019
Table read of Robyn Guest's play "Wedding Doll Minister" 2023
Edward Pinkowski presenting Ed Wavak with a TWS Playwrights Workshop recognition award at "Shorts for a Summer's Evening" kickoff 2024.
