Studio Salford WFTS courses

30/05/2026

Podcast Episode: Writing For The Stage And Page

Pip: WriteForTheStage — where a playwright writes a novel, records a pop single, and somehow still finds time to rescue everyone's Act 2 from the swamp it's been sitting in. Mara: That's the territory today, yes. Mike Heath has been busy across two very different fronts — a new novel launch with original music to match, and a fresh block of online playwriting courses opening up....

Pip: WriteForTheStage — where a playwright writes a novel, records a pop single, and somehow still finds time to rescue everyone’s Act 2 from the swamp it’s been sitting in. Mara: That’s the territory today, yes. Mike Heath has been busy across two very different fronts — a new novel launc...

30/05/2026

Supertonic – my second novel and accompanying pop single

You probably know me more as a playwright than a novelist, and you probably don’t know me as a musician at all. But I am, indeed, all of these things - I was a musician before I was a writer, and after 25 years of playwriting, I finally released my first novel last year. So, it’s with great excitement that I announce my new book: …...

Supertonic is my second novel, with an accompanying pop music release - both released on Saturday 30th May, 2026.

25/05/2026

New Playwriting Short-Courses Start Next Week

Right then. If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll “get back to that script soon”, consider this your friendly nudge. My next block of WriteForTheStage online playwriting courses kicks off next week. I've condensed university-level learning into accessible 5-week courses, so if you're preparing your script for a competition or performance, you've got time to hone your text. These courses are practical, supportive, and designed to help you actually…...

Right then. If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll “get back to that script soon”, consider this your friendly nudge. My next block of WriteForTheStage online playwriting courses kicks off next week. I’ve condensed university-level learning into accessible 5-week courses, so if you’re pr...

24/05/2026

One week to go.
My June playwriting courses are about to begin — First 10 Pages, Act 2, and Act 3.
Three focused 5‑week programmes designed to help you build momentum, deepen your craft, and finish strong.

Perfect for anyone preparing their play for GMFringe or a competition.

15/05/2026

How to Focus — A Playwright’s Tips on Getting to the End of Your Draft

They say that we all have a book in us. Or maybe it’s a play? Everyone has a story to tell, but not everyone has the time or the skillset to get it down on paper. But, actually, that’s a bit of a fallacy — we can all write a story. We just need to learn how to focus our minds on the task....

A playwright’s guide to staying focused, building a writing routine, and finally finishing your first draft — practical tips, rituals, and creative frameworks.

11/05/2026

Stop Press: Online Playwriting Courses Starting in June (and Over the Summer)

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to get your play moving again, June brings a whole run of opportunities to dive back in. Our Top of the Stack series returns — three focused online courses that guide you through the architecture of your play, act by act — followed by the WriteForTheStage Summer School in August, a full week dedicated to writing, exploring, and discovering....

Our forthcoming online playwriting courses, taught on Zoom and open to an international audience of experienced and first-time playwrights.

11/05/2026

Top of the Stack: Act 3

Endings are notoriously challenging to get right. Indeed, a strong Act 3 ensures your audience leaves the theatre satisfied — and more likely to return for your next play. This is the moment where your protagonist rises from the nadir of Act 2 and finally confronts the Problem of the World that has threatened to undo them throughout the story. Act 3 is where avoidance ends and direct action finally begins. With careful preparation, Act 3 ties the story together in a way that feels logical and inevitable, answering the questions you planted in the opening pages and delivering the emotional resolution your audience has been waiting for. Who is Top of the Stack: Act 3 for? Suitable for beginners and experienced playwrights. Perhaps you've nearly finished your play but are stuck at the ending? Join us, and we'll help ensure your ending satisfies the promise of your play's opening....

Endings are notoriously difficult. So, if you're wondering how to write Act 3, you've found precisely the right course for you!

10/05/2026

WFTS Online Playwriting Summer School

A whole week to write your play — from the comfort of your own home. The WriteForTheStage Online Playwriting Summer School gives you structure in the mornings, space in the afternoons, and a friendly group of writers to cheer you on. You’ll try out fresh techniques, and leave the week with a first draft script that’s properly underway (and a renewed sense of faith in your abilities). ...

A week of online playwriting sessions and sharings that will drive you towards the first draft of your next new play.

04/05/2026

The Best Playwriting Apps for theatre — Ranked by a Playwright

Finding the right playwriting app for theatre isn’t about bells and whistles. It’s about whether the tool actually supports the messy, intuitive, character-driven work of writing for performance. And after twenty years working with new writing, teaching playwrights, and developing scripts for stages big and small, I’ve tested the apps that genuinely help writers get words on the page — and keep them there....

A playwriting app should do the formatting for you without interrupting your creative flow. Check our my Top 5 playwriting apps for theatre.

12/04/2026

10 Playwriting Exercises That Sharpen Character Voice

Are you struggling to find distinctive voices for your characters on the page? You’re not alone. Even experienced playwrights hit the point where every line starts to sound like a slight variation of themselves. When voices merge, your scenes begin to flatten, and the stakes blur, and the reader has to rely on name tags rather than character behaviour to understand who’s speaking. ...

Distinct character voices help readers know who’s speaking. 10 exercises that help playwrights differentiate characters on the page.