Tag Archives: writers workshop

Looking Now for Halloween Scripts!

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St James Infirmary Halloween SpecialCindy McGean, WRW’s Dramaturge, writes:

Willamette Radio Workshop is looking for original scripts for the 2009 Halloween show which will be the same format as our MURDER OF CROWS program from some years back. The show will be 2 one hour programs made up of about 8 original scripts all in some way inspired by the blues/jazz classic “St. James Infirmary Blues.” No script should be longer than 15 minutes, but short takes are fine. I am sending along a link to some information about the song and some great examples of the myriad different versions of it (see below). WRW is looking for pieces that are scary, suspenseful, eerie, haunting or otherwise Halloween appropriate. ER meets the X-Files meets EC Comics is how Sam sees the format. We would like first-draft scripts submitted by June 30, 2009. This will allow time for readings and rewrites.

This summer, in place of the summer Writers On-the-air Workshop, WRW will be organizing readings of the scripts submitted for this project. Director Sam A. Mowry will choose from those scripts for the live performances in October.

If you are thinking of submitting a piece, send a short description of your idea to Sam (SAMowry@aol.com) or me (cjmcgean@aol.com) so we have a feel for the ideas folks are working on and can prevent overlap (e.g. multiple zombie scripts). Cindy is also available on a limited basis now and more fully come June to work with any writers who’d like support.

We’re looking forward to the rich and varied stories that we know will spring forth from your imaginations for this project! Here’s the link I mentioned earlier: Honey, Where You Been So Long?

Writers On-the-air Workshop 2008 Announcement

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Writers On-the-air Workshop 2008: Building Character

Willamette Radio Workshop announces its 5th annual Writers On-the-air Workshop (WOW) starting July 15 and meeting every Tuesday evening(7-9 pm) through August 12. Writer and educator Cynthia J. McGean, recently returned from presenting a series of writing workshops at the National Audio Theatre Festival, will lead writers in a collaborative, peer-driven process using the audio theater medium to explore their craft. This year’s focus will be on developing strong characters. Participants will meet for 2 hours every week to examine how audio theater changes and informs the writer’s process for developing characters and conveying character traits to actors and the audience. Willamette Radio Workshop will select scripts developed during WOW 2008 for readings and future productions. Previous WOW scripts have received multiple national awards, been produced and aired around the country and evolved into stage productions as well. WOW is offered at no charge to anyone committed to the process and interested in exploring writing through the audio medium.

The Willamette Radio Workshop is a professional theatrical organization based in Portland, Oregon, and dedicated to the creation of original material for radio, internet, compact disks and other audio venues. We produce our shows both in studio and at live performances. We seek to acknowledge the influence and preserve the history of radio theater as we work to create its present. To this end, our work also includes re-creations or re-imaginings of classic radio programs. WRW is the proud recipient of four Ogle Awards, two Mark Time Awards and a Crystal Communicator Award for excellence in the audio medium. For more information, check out our website at www.radiowork.com.

For more information or an application, please contact WOW Director Cindy McGean at�cjmcgean@aol.com.

Writers On-the-air Workshop 2006

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This July, WRW’s Writers On-the-Air Workshop (WOW), returns for its third year developing and showcasing new, original works for audio theater by writers from around the country. Funded in part by the Regional Arts and Culture Council, this year’s WOW focuses on “Voice and Viewpoint.”

WOW participants meet two to three times a week to discuss and revise their scripts through a peer-driven, collaborative process led by WRW dramaturge and published playwright Cynthia McGean. The three-week workshop begins Saturday, July 8, with an introduction for those new to audio theater, and culminates July 29th in recorded readings of the scripts with actors chosen by WRW Director Sam A. Mowry.

Three pieces from WOW will be selected for full production and broadcast. WOW is free and open to those interested in exploring their writing craft through the medium of audio theater. For an application, contact Cynthia McGean at cjmcgean@aol.com.

Past WOW productions include Gold Ogle Award Winner Next Year’s Girl, by Heather Breeden and National Audio Theatre Festival Grand Prize Winner Pandora’s Box, by Cynthia McGean. WRW is proud to present WOW productions on local radio station KBOO, as well as community radio stations around the country.