With a focus on queer characters and queer stories, this workshop is an introduction to developing character-driven queer drama for stage and screen. Join award-winning Scottish playwright and screenwriter James Ley, as he facilitates his favourite creative-thinking and playwriting exercises to help you harness queer joy in your writing.

This workshop will accept participants who fulfil the following pre-requisites:
- Emerging writers who have written at least one full-length play
- Writers interested in telling queer stories
Workshop fees will be on a sliding scale from $30 - $50.
The workshop will accept a maximum of 12 participants.

James introduces his approach to playwriting and gets the participants to think through why playwrights often write from a place of queer trauma, as well as what queer joy means to them.

James invites Ahmad Musta'ain, playwright, educator and a friend of James, to read from a section of "Ode to Joy" as an example for participants to understand the exercise of creating a character.

At the end of the workshop, each of the participants took away a seed of an idea for a character or scene that they could continue developing. Here's a group photo with all of the participants!
- Fees are on a sliding scale from $30-$50
- Register here! Capacity limited to 12 pax, first-come-first-served.
James’ play ODE TO JOY which he wrote and directed won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival 2022. His feature adaptation of Love Song to Lavender Menace is currently in development, produced by John McKay/Compact Pictures, funded by the Scottish Film Talent Network.