Dan Bray (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist living in beautiful Kjipuktuk (Halifax) and has been fortunate to work with many theatre companies across the province – as a playwright, director, educator, actor, dramaturg, and more! With a focus on original Canadian comedy (as well as forays into adaptation, literary pastiche, horror, and drama), his plays have been performed across the Maritimes, as well as Ontario and British Columbia. He regularly leads playwriting workshops, and – as a member of PERFORM! (Theatre Nova Scotia) – he has had the chance to collaborate with high school students and teachers to create their own projects. As Artistic Director of The Villains Theatre, he has written, directed, and adapted many shows. Most recently, his mystery Deepwater received the national Playwrights Guild of Canada Drama Award and the Robert Merritt Award (“Outstanding New Play by a Nova Scotian”), and was a Semifinalist in the Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition as well as First Runner Up for the Jenny Munday Atlantic Canadian Play Award.
Workshop Offerings:
Chasing the Spark: Playwriting 101
This interactive playwriting course, led by The Villains Theatre’s artistic director Dan Bray, is the perfect introduction for burgeoning playwrights. Students will begin by using fun and accessible prompts and stream-of-consciousness techniques to kickstart the writing process. Students will isolate themes and images to create monologues. From here, they will explore the concept of “active writing” and use this material to generate dialogue between multiple characters. Next, they will use this new dialogue to flesh out scenes, characters, and arcs. Finally, they will share with the group. Students will ideally also receive one-on-one feedback with the instructor, which will introduce them to the role of the dramaturg and the importance of workshopping new work. There will be designated writing time throughout to introduce students to the art of “giving oneself permission to write without interruption.”
Recommended as a three-part series of workshops.
Options: Intro Session only (1 workshop) and In-Depth Series (5+ sessions) as suited to requests
