READ UP ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Satori Shakoor in ‘da Kink in my Hair. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
A series of online training workshops presented by Expect Theatre
PLAY FINDING: Discovering Your Play in Your Own Story with Daniel MacIvor
Dates: May 5-June 9 (Mondays - excluding May 19)
Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm EST over Zoom
Fee for participants: $325
Subsidized spots are available, email Breanne at breanne@expect.org to inquire.
Join Daniel MacIvor in investigating the process of creating and developing an original play or monologue by discovering the connections between yourself and your idea. Through conversations and exercises aimed at uncovering how theatre work transforms both creators and audiences MacIvor will help participants to take their work to the next level.
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Daniel MacIvor is a playwright, performer, and filmmaker who divides his time between Toronto and Nova Scotia. He has been the recipient of a Governor General’s Literary Award, the Siminovitch Prize for Theatre, a New York Obie Award and a GLAAD Award. His plays include Never Swim Alone, In On It, His Greatness and New Magic Valley Fun Town and have been translated into French, German, Czech, Spanish, Japanese and Portuguese. Daniel’s most fruitful partnership has been with director Daniel Brooks with whom he created seven solo performances for international touring including Here Lies Henry, Monster and Let's Run Away. With producer Marcie Januska Daniel runs Toronto-based reWork Productions developing new theatre and film, and he is the creative consultant for venerable queer media company Pink Triangle Press creating new media that encourages allyship and advocacy. Daniel is currently developing a new solo performance called Your Show Here.
WRITER’S ROOM—Idea/Pitch/Pilot: A 3-Day TV Writing Intensive with Fab Filippo
Dates: Monday May 5 + Tuesdays May 13 & 20, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm EST on Google Meet
Fee for participants: $195
Subsidized spots are available, email Breanne at breanne@expect.org to inquire.
WRITER’S ROOM—Idea/Pitch/Pilot: A 3-Day TV Writing Intensive is a live Zoom-based course designed for emerging writers ready to turn a TV show concept into a compelling pitch and pilot blueprint. Participants come in with an idea they want to explore and understand how to create a one-pager, a strong pitch, and the foundation for their pilot script and series bible. Through a mix of masterclass-style teaching and writer’s room discussion, this course helps writers sharpen their premise, develop characters and world, and communicate the heart of their show.
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Fab is an award-winning producer-writer-director-showrunner. Most recently he wrote, directed and was co-showrunner for SORT OF, half-hour for CBC/HBOMAX (Sphere Prodco) — making top ten lists from Vanity Fair to Rolling Stone as well as winning a Peabody Award. He just directed three eps of SMALL ACHIEVABLE GOALS for CBC and is currently developing an hour-long with Killer Films and FX. Before that he wrote, directed and showran the critically acclaimed and award-winning shortform series Save Me, which was nominated for over 20 international festival awards and a Webby. As an actor you might also know him from such projects as Lives Of The Saints starring opposite Sophia Loren, indie hit waydowntown, or as Ethan Gold in the groundbreaking Showtime series Queer As Folk. He is often recognized for an acting stint on the hit Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
MIC DROP: From Playwriting to Podcasting with Leah-Simone Bowen
Dates: Tuesdays May 27-June 24, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm EST on Zoom
Fee for participants: $325
Subsidized spots are available, email Breanne at breanne@expect.org to inquire.
Make your skills transferable! Bring your writer skills to the world of podcasting in this hands-on course. You'll learn how to script for audio—where story lives in sound—along with tips on hosting, voice performance, and pacing. The course will take you through a mini development process - from idea to page while also covering industry best practices, insider tricks on getting your show noticed, what media companies and streamers are looking for in a pitch and a DIY kit to build your own audience. Perfect for playwrights ready to step behind the mic.
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Leah-Simone Bowen is an award-winning playwright, producer and broadcaster. As a writer, her work has been produced and published across Canada and the United States. She created and co-hosted the hit irreverent history series The Secret Life of Canada, which was the first independently created podcast to be picked up by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. As a podcast producer and development advisor for CBC podcasts Leah has worked on countless other podcast series including co-productions with the BBC, Sony Music and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In 2021, CBC Radio One announced her as the new permanent host of Podcast Playlist, which aired across Canada and the US on PRX. Her most recent work, an adaptation of Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha was selected as one The New York Time’s best of 2024 and is currently on tour.
PAST COURSES
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PERFECT PITCH: How to present touring projects, productions, and scripts to Artistic Directors with Jillian Keiley
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SMALL SCREEN, BIG STAGE: A Crash Course in TV Writing for Playwrights with Chloé Hung
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CREATE YOUR OWN RESIDENCY: A Resource for Playwrights, Directors, and Creators with Amiel Gladstone
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WORKING TOGETHER: An Agent & Playwright, in Conversation with Colin Rivers & Marcus Youssef
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CRITICAL THINKING: The role of theatre criticism & how to use it with Glenn Sumi
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WRITING FOR MUSIC THEATRE: A Step by Step Guide with Beau Dixon
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REALLY EFFECTIVE WEAPON: Writing Comedy with Mark Crawford
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ME, IRL: Turning Awkward Life Moments into Sketches with Aurora Browne
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SLIDING OVER TO THE MIC: How to adapt your craft to perform behind the mic with Dee Shipley
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OH. THEY’RE SUDDENLY SINGING: How Musicals and Narrative Songwriting Work with Kevin Wong
From Script to Soundwaves
Join us for an immersive workshop designed for writers who are ready to harness the power of podcasting and take their storytelling beyond the stage.
This workshop provides a rare chance to explore the art of writing for audio, whether by crafting original audio dramas or adapting existing stage scripts to work in the podcasting realm. With an emphasis on storytelling that resonates in audio, participants will gain insight into the nuances that make audio drama distinct from traditional theatre.
Through engaging hands-on activities, participants will hone their skills in crafting dialogue, designing soundscapes, and experimenting with foley techniques. These practical skills will empower them to bring their stories to life in the audio medium, ensuring they leave the workshop with a strong understanding of how to produce compelling audio content.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to elevate your craft and share your stories with listeners around the world.
Registration is now closed.