James has over 5 years experience teaching scriptwriting and poetry writing workshops & courses in schools, theatres, universities and other institutions across the country. He has 100s of hours of experience teaching classes and courses via online platform Zoom. On Zoom, James also mentors many scriptwriters and poets all over the world in custom designed 1-on-1 writing workshops. To contact James about 1-on-1 mentoring or about running a writing workshop/course for your organisation, click here.
Forthcoming Workshops and Courses
Scriptwriting Workshop Beccles Public Hall & Theatre, Friday 21st January 2022, Book here
Tiny Plays Big Ideas 2022 Playwriting Project in Suffolk schools for Theatre Royal BSE, Spring 2022
Introduction To Playwriting Week Long Online Course Arvon, Spring 2022 On sale soon
Teaching Biography
From January 2022, James McDermott will be Visiting Lecturer in Scriptwriting at Norwich University of The Arts.
Since 2017, James McDermott has taught creative writing at Norwich Theatre where every year he runs the ten week courses Introduction To Scriptwriting, Advanced Playwriting and Writing For Performance.
Since 2018, James has taught creative writing to New Wolsey's Young Company and has taught drama at Limelight Studios Norwich.
With The Marina Theatre Lowestoft, James co-created the ACE funded Untold Tales Playwriting Festival in which James teaches primary school children across Suffolk how to write a short play. The strongest script submissions are then staged at The Marina Theatre. The project ran for three years between 2017-2020.
For Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, James delivers the ACE funded Tiny Plays Big Ideas in which James teaches primary school children across Bury St Edmunds how to write a short play. The strongest script submissions are then staged at Theatre Royal BSE. Following the success of 2021's inaugural scheme, the project will run again in Spring 2022.
With Greshams School, James co-created The Greshams School Playwriting Festival in which James teaches writers representing each house in the school how to write a short play. The strongest submissions are then staged in Greshams' Auden Theatre. The festival is now in it's third successful year.
For Creative Arts East, in Autumn 2021 James is delivering a series of 10 writing workshops for older adults in several village halls across East Anglia.
With INK Festival, James co-created and delivered the ACE funded Golden Age, a series of writing workshops in care homes across Suffolk in which participants were taught how to write about their lives in the hope the project abates memory loss and loneliness. The resultant texts were performed by professional actors for residents and their families at The Dell Care Home Lowestoft.
With Norwich Pride, James delivered a four week Playwriting With Pride Course in which James taught queer writers tools and techniques to create queer characters, stories, theatrical forms and structures. The course was delivered at Norwich Theatre Royal.
For queer literary organisation Out On The Page, James devised and delivered on Zoom a 6 week LGBTQ Playwriting Course in which queer writers were coached through the writing of an LGBTQ themed play. Following the success of the course, James will revive it for Out On The Page in Spring 2022 and deliver a Zoom poetry writing course for them too.
With Revoluton Arts, during the COVID-19 lockdown, James delivered 12 week online playwriting and poetry writing Zoom classes for participants worldwide as well as a 6 week online screenwriting course.
James has delivered creative writing workshops for many other organisations including UEA, The University Of Essex, West Suffolk College, Norfolk Library Service, London Queer Writers, Cambridge Junction, Luton Hat Factory and Leicester Curve.
Playwriting Tutorials for Marina Theatre Lowestoft
During the COVID19 lock-down, James created a series of short films for Marina Theatre Lowestoft in which he teaches tools and techniques to help viewers write a play in self-isolation. The series of short films are below.
Forthcoming Workshops and Courses
Scriptwriting Workshop Beccles Public Hall & Theatre, Friday 21st January 2022, Book here
Tiny Plays Big Ideas 2022 Playwriting Project in Suffolk schools for Theatre Royal BSE, Spring 2022
Introduction To Playwriting Week Long Online Course Arvon, Spring 2022 On sale soon
Teaching Biography
From January 2022, James McDermott will be Visiting Lecturer in Scriptwriting at Norwich University of The Arts.
Since 2017, James McDermott has taught creative writing at Norwich Theatre where every year he runs the ten week courses Introduction To Scriptwriting, Advanced Playwriting and Writing For Performance.
Since 2018, James has taught creative writing to New Wolsey's Young Company and has taught drama at Limelight Studios Norwich.
With The Marina Theatre Lowestoft, James co-created the ACE funded Untold Tales Playwriting Festival in which James teaches primary school children across Suffolk how to write a short play. The strongest script submissions are then staged at The Marina Theatre. The project ran for three years between 2017-2020.
For Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, James delivers the ACE funded Tiny Plays Big Ideas in which James teaches primary school children across Bury St Edmunds how to write a short play. The strongest script submissions are then staged at Theatre Royal BSE. Following the success of 2021's inaugural scheme, the project will run again in Spring 2022.
With Greshams School, James co-created The Greshams School Playwriting Festival in which James teaches writers representing each house in the school how to write a short play. The strongest submissions are then staged in Greshams' Auden Theatre. The festival is now in it's third successful year.
For Creative Arts East, in Autumn 2021 James is delivering a series of 10 writing workshops for older adults in several village halls across East Anglia.
With INK Festival, James co-created and delivered the ACE funded Golden Age, a series of writing workshops in care homes across Suffolk in which participants were taught how to write about their lives in the hope the project abates memory loss and loneliness. The resultant texts were performed by professional actors for residents and their families at The Dell Care Home Lowestoft.
With Norwich Pride, James delivered a four week Playwriting With Pride Course in which James taught queer writers tools and techniques to create queer characters, stories, theatrical forms and structures. The course was delivered at Norwich Theatre Royal.
For queer literary organisation Out On The Page, James devised and delivered on Zoom a 6 week LGBTQ Playwriting Course in which queer writers were coached through the writing of an LGBTQ themed play. Following the success of the course, James will revive it for Out On The Page in Spring 2022 and deliver a Zoom poetry writing course for them too.
With Revoluton Arts, during the COVID-19 lockdown, James delivered 12 week online playwriting and poetry writing Zoom classes for participants worldwide as well as a 6 week online screenwriting course.
James has delivered creative writing workshops for many other organisations including UEA, The University Of Essex, West Suffolk College, Norfolk Library Service, London Queer Writers, Cambridge Junction, Luton Hat Factory and Leicester Curve.
Playwriting Tutorials for Marina Theatre Lowestoft
During the COVID19 lock-down, James created a series of short films for Marina Theatre Lowestoft in which he teaches tools and techniques to help viewers write a play in self-isolation. The series of short films are below.
