Saturday 7 June 2025

10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Workshop

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Public Reading

About the Utrecht Play Generator

The Utrecht Play Generator is a one-day intensive playwriting event, designed to bring together up to eight passionate playwrights for a full-day creative workshop under the guidance of acclaimed Australian director, playwright, and producer Augusta Supple. This is a rare opportunity to develop a new full-length collaborative theatre work, shaped by the energy of collective creation and experimentation. Writers will work both individually and as part of a group, generating original material, responding to provocations, and shaping their contributions into a dynamic, multifaceted performance text.

The day will conclude with a public reading of the work-in-progress, offering audiences a window into the process and a chance to witness the fresh, diverse theatrical voices of Utrecht.

About Augusta Supple

Augusta Supple is an award-winning theatre director, playwright, and creative producer with a career spanning over 25 years across Australia, the USA, and Canada. Known for her dynamic and collaborative approach to new work, Augusta has commissioned and produced over 200 playwrights, creating multi-authored works that celebrate multiplicity, thematic layering, and bold experimentation. Her past creative producing credits and play generators include: Artistic Director of the Brand Spanking New Festival of New Australian Plays (New Theatre), Creative Director of Stories from the 428 (Sidetrack Theatre) and A View from Moving Windows (Riverside Theatres), and Festival Co-Director of the Mayday Playwrights Festival (Tap Gallery Theatre). She has led play generators including Write Here, Write Now (Brand X/ Queen St Studios, Sydney), Masterclass (Guelph Little Theatre, Canada) Voices at the Market (American Playwrights Center, Minneapolis USA), Play Parramatta and Parramatta Play Mates (WestWords, Parramatta), Write Here, Write Now (Lake Macquarie) and Playing Wyong (The Art House Wyong). In 2025 she will be working with Playwrights at English Theatre Leipzig, Bucharest Playhouse, English Theatre Utrecht in Europe, and Ojai Playwrights Conference and Festival (California, USA) and Playwrights Center, (St Paul, MN, USA) Augusta’s distinctive process foregrounds heteroglossia—a celebration of many voices in conversation—focusing on spontaneity, joy, and the poetic possibilities of theatre as a shared act.

Who Should Apply

We are seeking up to eight writer/playwrights who are:

• Excited to work collaboratively on the creation of a full-length theatre piece.

• Ready to commit to a full-day (10 AM–5 PM) intensive workshop, in person.

• Prepared to generate new writing on the day, responding to prompts, exercises, and collective discussion.

Writers from all backgrounds and levels of experience are warmly invited to apply. The workshop will be conducted in English.

Schedule

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Welcome & Overview

Coffee, introductions, and outlining of the day. Discussion of project goals and examples from other cities

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Writing Session #1 – Writing in Situ

Creative team/ Playwrights go to a place together to write in public, responding to sites and overheard conversation. Responding to prompts and initial ideas.

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Return to writing space

Return to writing space and share small sections of what was written

12:00PM – 1:00 PM | Writing Session #2

First writing exercise, responding to prompts and initial ideas.

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch time

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Writing Session #3

Drafting, developing, and refining individual contributions, supported by Augusta’s guidance.

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Sharing and Shaping

Share small sections of what was written and start shaping the work.

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Bringing it all together

Bringing individual pieces together, identifying thematic resonances, shaping the order and flow of the collective work, any last minute linkages

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Preparation for Reading

Assigning readers, quick run-through, setting up space.

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Public Reading

Sharing the collaborative work with a small audience. Friends, colleagues, and theatre-lovers are warmly invited to attend.

7:00 PM | Party

Friends, colleagues, and theatre-lovers are warmly invited to raise a glass to the writers at the bar.

Commitment & What to Bring

• Full-day attendance (10 AM–5 PM) required

• A laptop, notebook, or preferred writing materials

• An openness to experimentation, and playful collaboration

• Respect and high regard for other writers

• Optional: snacks or refreshments

All writers retain ownership of their own material, ideas, and characters.

Expression of Interest (EOI)

If you are interested in joining, please submit:

• Your name, email, and phone number

• A short bio (up to 200 words) describing your writing background and interests

• A short statement (up to 150 words) about why you’d like to be part of this workshop

• (Optional) Up to two pages of your writing (any genre, style or form)

Please send EOIs to: info@englishtheatreutrecht.com by Monday 2 June 2025.

Final Notes

Participation is free for people from the English Theatre Utrecht community. This workshop is made possible by a contribution from the Australian government.

This is a unique opportunity to work intensively with a highly regarded international theatre artist, meet fellow Utrecht writers, and contribute to a joyful, communal act of creation. We can’t wait to see what voices and visions emerge!

For more about Augusta visit: www.augustasupple.com