WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Skillful employment of subtext creates the complexity in characters and action that directors and performers need to enhance the impact of scripts in production, yet managing subtext is often among the most troublesome issues for writers working in theatre, film, audio, and television. When appropriately controlled, subtext strengthens the power of scripts, supports the development of empathetic connections between audiences and characters, and ultimately drives interest in the story being told. When allowed to run unchecked, spoken subtext does the reverse: undermining every component of a script. We'll explore where spoken subtext is necessary; its operation in visual and verbal forms of storytelling (with genre-dependent variations); its role in narration, exposition, and monologues; and the seeming outlier of usage in musicals. We'll review techniques for identifying and editing subtext as well as an exercise for driving subtext out of spoken dialogue.

ABOUT RICHARD TOSCAN:

Rick's audio dramas have been broadcast by the BBC (Radio 1 & World Service), ABC (Australia), CBC (Canada), and in the US by Pacifica and NPR. He was executive producer and story editor of the original "Star Wars" radio series for Lucasfilm, the BBC, and NPR – the first contemporary audio drama to attract a major national audience in the US. Other audio adaptations include work by Raymond Chandler, Damon Knight, and Ed Bullins, docudramas on the Vietnam War and psychoanalytic case histories. He's served as a judge for national competitions and festivals focused on screenwriting, playwriting, and fiction podcasts. He was an Armstrong Award nominee for Creative Use of the Radio Medium and a founding member of First Stage, the Los Angeles new play development program. For many years he was Dean of the USC School of Theatre. His handbook, "Playwriting Seminars 2.0" is a widely used resource in the field.  richard.toscan@gmail.com

REGISTRATION: Suggested donation of $15-$25. Registrants will be sent an email with Zoom instructions.