“Something From Nothing”: Playwriting Course at The South Simcoe Theatre

UPDATED: AUGUST 13, 2025

Thank you for your interest! This course is now full. Don't miss our next course or workshop announcement–—make sure to join our mailing list to receive our email updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see even more of The South Simcoe Theatre!

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Instructor:

Trudee Romanek

About:

In-person course

Seats are limited to 5-8 participants per course

2 x 4-week courses, Wednesday evenings

Part I: “Fill the Toolbox”

Wednesdays, September 3 to October 1 (Sept 10, No class)

The South Simcoe Theatre, 1 Hamilton St, Cookstown, ON L0L 1L0 7:00 pm–9:30 pm (2.5 hours) (4 Wednesdays Total = 10 hours)

Part II: “Master the Tools”

Wednesdays, October 8 to October 29 The South Simcoe Theatre, 1 Hamilton St, Cookstown, ON L0L 1L0

7:00 pm–9:30 pm (2.5 hours)

(4 Wednesdays Total = 10 hours)

Cost:

$75.00 per part or $140.00 if registering for both at once.

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About

Through discussion and hands-on exercises, this entry-level course (divided into Parts I and II) will provide both new and emerging playwrights with the nuts-and-bolts skills of playwriting, guiding them through the crafting and revising of a stage-worthy play script, suitable for submission to SST’s FourPlay reading festival as well as for crafting plays in general. The course will also look at the specific requirements of making a play suitable for play readings. As such, it is ideal for playwrights who have never submitted to a play reading festival, as well as those who have submitted but did not have their work selected.

Sessions in Part I: Fill the Toolbox

1. Where to Begin – thinking about everyday experience differently

2. Looking for Some Action – expanding a simple idea into a premise with stakes

3. What a Character – choosing and developing the people who should inhabit your play

4. Reel Them In – how to keep your audience engaged

Sessions in Part II: Master the Tools

5. No Worries – first draft is always “shitty”; avoid stage direction, especially for play readings

6. Putting It Together – using what we’ve learned to write a scene or short play

7. One More Time – how each draft takes your play closer to something that’s producible

8. Team Effort – how to give, get, discern, and use feedback

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Meet Trudee Romanek (she/her)

Trudee Romanek is a published author of more than a dozen books, as well as a produced playwright. She is the creator of Bright Daybreak (Lunchbox Theatre, Calgary), What Goes Up (She Speaks Festival, Kitchener), Bobbie (Theatre by the Bay), If the Shoe Fits (Simcoe County Theatre Festival and London Fringe Festival), and more. In 2022 and 2024, Trudee completed the international writing challenge 28 Plays Later, writing an original play every day of February in those years. She is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, a founding participant of the Barrie Theatre Lab, and a seasoned speaker and instructor.