The Manitoba Writers’ Guild is delighted to announce the return of our much-heralded Docudrama Workshop series.
“I had an idea for a story, but what to do with it? This Docudrama workshop was the perfect solution for me. I would give it a 5-star recommendation!” –Marilynn Slobogian (Participant in the 2021 workshop series)
Creating a docudrama involves many of the literary arts, as it can include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music, song, dance, film clips – whatever you need to bring your passion project to life in a 10-15 minute presentation. The form is as fluid as your ideas. The classroom support provided by the instructor will focus primarily on writing, but the collective interests and talents of the whole class can enrich each participant’s final product. So, if you have a story to tell about your life, your family’s life, current political or social strife, the future of our planet, or any other idea grounded in reality but open to being framed within a story, docudrama is for you.
The classes are lively, fun, and full of vivid imaginings.
Sessions will include:
• Developing a tightly-plotted exploration of an issue, concern, or question of interest to participants
• Realistic and engaging dialogue
• Authoritative knowledge or research that informs but does not overwhelm
• Collaborative and independent work.
Each workshop is designed for small groups of 2-4 people working together. However, we can also accommodate those who prefer to work independently.
WHY CREATE A DOCUDRAMA?
• It’s a focused, fairly short format that incorporates all aspects of both fiction and non-fiction writing. All course participants will have opportunities to hone and refine their writing skills. It can, but does not need to, include poetry, song, and even dance.
• It is performable, so you will create a product that can be used for a variety of purposes, from launching a book to giving a talk on a contemporary social issue, to discovering the many voices that speak to a particular social concern, to simply entertaining others.
• The performance can be acted (drama) or read (reader’s theatre).• It is publishable in the same way that short stories are publishable. The MWG will maintain a collection of all docudramas produced in this new program, with a future goal to publish a collection of them.
For more information, contact the Manitoba Writers’ Guild at or check out our YouTube ads at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAn9KB47Fj1Ynulv8bs3MA
Tickets go on sale June 1 with EventBrite (see below), but to get your name on the list or to get more information, email
To register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/writing-for-children-tickets-321507366187
ABOUT THE PRESENTER:
Dr. Sharon Hamilton, Professor of English (Emerita), has enjoyed a lifetime of writing, drama, and teaching. In addition to her published memoir and over a hundred professional articles and book chapters, she is working on her fifth novel and has written two plays, performed in Winnipeg, Indianapolis, and Texas. She developed a senior level docudrama course at Indiana University and has adapted it as a 8-session workshop for the Manitoba Writers Guild. She created a docudrama for the 2019 launch of her fourth novel, Manitoba MAID, at McNally Robinson.