WORKSHOP – Your Self-Producing Toolkit: A day-long introduction

Does the idea of self-producing your play leave you feeling confused?  Inexperienced?  Even terrified?  Don’t worry – it’s not as hard as it seems!

This day-long workshop will give participants the confidence, practical skills, and troubleshooting insight to successfully produce their own work.

Why should I self-produce?

While a few lucky writers are fortunate enough to find theatres eager to produce their work at the beginning of their careers, the vast majority need to find other ways to get their work onstage: to build their careers and gain the valuable experience of seeing their writing performed.

In our experience, writers tend to be a bit more intimidated by self-producing than directors or other creatives, but this need not be so!  Self-producing takes hard work, but it’s incredibly empowering to realise that you don’t need to win a major award or get a big commission to see your work onstage – you have the skills to make this happen right now.

About the workshop

The workshop covers the core information you need to know to get your play on in a theatre, including:

• Approaching venues (which theatres to approach, how to write query emails, pitching your project, and negotiating your contract)
• Budgeting and fundraising (how to generate and manage a budget, crowdfunding, grants, and sponsorships)
• Building your creative team, including casting (how to create a casting call and structure auditions/interviews, where to advertise and find the right people, navigating the rehearsal process, and tips for managing your relationships with other creatives)
• Publicity and industry outreach (developing a marketing plan, designing flyers and other marketing materials, social media advertising, and inviting agents, theatres, and reviewers)
• Time management and the key stages of self-producing (a step-by-step walkthrough of your key milestones, setting priorities, and troubleshooting common problems for new producers)

Through a combination of interactive exercises, sharing information and case studies, the workshop will connect playmakers to the resources that will enable them to see their project through to conclusion.  The workshop is focused on playwrights, but is open to any theatremakers who are interested in producing their own work.

All participants will be given detailed handouts they can use for reference after the course.  Although the day will be information-intensive, the approach will be friendly and encouraging, and will be equally welcoming to people from all backgrounds, with plenty of time devoted to answering questions.

Who this workshop is for

This workshop is targeted at people taking their first steps into self-producing, or who have self-produced their work in a limited way but are looking to expand their knowledge in this area, or want more confidence in pitching their work.  Whether you have a specific project already in mind, or are just starting to brainstorm the possibilities, this workshop will leave you better equipped to bring your work to life onstage.

When and where

When:  Saturday 23 January 2016 from 10.30am – 5pm

Where: Theatre Delicatessen  – 119 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3DA (nearest tube: Farringdon)

Cost:  £90 for the full day workshop (lunch not included)

How to book

Please click the link below to book your place:



Places are reserved on a  strictly first come first serve basis, so early booking is advised.

About the Workshop Leaders

The workshop is led by the co-founders of London Playwrights’ Blog, Kimberley Andrews and A.C. Smith, both of whom have personal experience successfully producing their own creative projects, in addition to their other work as playwrights.

Kimberley Andrews has written an ongoing introductory series on how to produce your own work, focusing on fringe venues in London; she has co-produced several of her own projects at venues including the Hen & Chickens and Rich Mix Studios.  As a writer, she has worked with BBC Drama Writers’ Academy and as a Playwriting Tutor at RADA, among other projects.

A.C. Smith has self-produced work at venues including Theatre503, RADA, Rose Theatre Bankside, The Pheasantry, and as part of Barlow & Smith also crowdfunded and self-produced an album of original songs. As a writer, she has won awards from the RSC and Soho Theatre, and previously worked at RADA as Head of Academic Studies.