Playwriting for Children’s Theater
A course by Piers Torday , Children's Author and Playwright
Bring your ideas to life on stage by learning how to write plays for children and families, from the initial idea to opening night
Bring your ideas to life on stage by learning how to write plays for children and families, from the initial idea to opening night
The thrill of watching a story unfold live in the theater creates lasting memories for adults and children alike. These magic moments are what children's author and playwright Piers Torday aims to capture in his work. He’s written multiple novels, including The Last Wild Trilogy, and sell-out theater adaptations such as The Box of Delights and Christmas Carol.
In this online course, Piers teaches you how to write plays for children and families, from the initial idea to opening night. Learn how to bring your story to life on stage by composing a script and preparing it for live performance, as well as how to pitch and promote your play idea. Tell heart-warming tales and put on a show your audience will never forget.
If you’re also interested in writing books for young readers, Piers shows you how in his first course Introduction to Writing a Children’s Fantasy Novel
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 24 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (18)
- 1,003 students
- 16 lessons (2h 44m)
- 24 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Write the first scene of a play or stage production aimed at children and families.
Who is this online course for?
Both aspiring and experienced writers, as well as anyone who wants to learn how to tell family-oriented stories on stage.
Requirements and materials
Basic notions of writing and live theater are required.
As for materials, you need a pen and paper, or a word processor.
Reviews
A course by Piers Torday
Piers Torday is an author, playwright, and educator from Northumberland, England. As a children’s author, he is dedicated to harnessing the power of imagination through creative writing. The art of writing has always been present in Piers' life: He wrote his first cartoon at age seven, which was about a superhero called Super Sid, and won a competition in a local newspaper. His father, the late Paul Torday, is the author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which was later adapted into a film.
For Piers, writing children’s novels is a way to engage young readers, inspire them to ask big questions, and shape the minds of tomorrow. His most notable work includes The Lost Magician, The Frozen Sea, The Last Wild Trilogy, and There May Be a Castle. Piers also received the Guardian Award for Children’s Fiction in 2014. In a review for the trilogy, The Times states that Piers is “the new master of books for children.”
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Welcome to Theatreland
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It’s Showtime!
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Preparing a Live Performance
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Adaptations
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U3
Putting on a Show
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Creating Conflict
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Characters: The Art of Change
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Establishing Some Rules
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Time and Place
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Dramatic Dialogue
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U4
Bringing Your Story to Life
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From Draft to Production 1
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From Draft to Production 2
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Rehearsals
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Previews
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U5
The Pitch
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Getting Your Work Commissioned
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How to Market Live Shows
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FP
Final project
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Playwriting for Children’s Theater
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
mariola71
PlusMe gusta mucho el curso, es muy práctico y entretenido. Lo único es que me gustaría escucharlo doblado en español.
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cazadoraoculta
Maravilloso curso. Lo veo cada vez que me siento perdida a la hora de empezar a escribir una nueva obra de teatro.
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amandaarmstrong23
An utterly brilliant course that felt as if it had been specifically written for me! Thank you, Piers, for being so informative, relatable and inspiring. Time to 'screw my courage to the sticking place' and hope not to fail!
arlanzaarantes
PlusMuito bom! Vale muito a pena!
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yuru21186
PlusIt is a very inspiring course! I'm starting on my project, this course helps me move forward. Thank you so much for making it