Treading the Boards: Playwrights on Playwriting

Willamette Writers welcomes ‘gentlemen of the theater,’ Bill Johnson, Doug Baldwin and Kristan Seemel for a panel discussion on writing for the stage at the May meeting.

Johnson’s play The Baggage Handler recently won first place at the “Creative Mechanics Festival” in New York. His plays have been produced both locally and nationally, and have won other awards. He teaches screenwriting at local community colleges and is in demand for workshops from Los Angeles to Surrey. He is also the author of the popular book on writing technique, A Story is a Promise, and maintains a Web site dedicated to the craft of dramatic writing at www.storyispromise.com. Johnson is also the Willamette Writers Office Manager.

Doug Baldwin is a playwright, actor, journalist and freelance writer. His plays have twice won the Writer’s Digest competition, and have been performed at the PCPA and in New York. He won a literary fellowship from Literary Arts, Inc. in 2001 and his work was selected for publication at the “Playwrights Showcase of the Western Region” in 2004.

Local dramatist and director, Kristan Seemel, rounds out the panel. He is the Literary Associate at Portland Center Stage where he handles new play submissions, administers new work development and aids in season selections. He has served as dramatist and director for several festivals and projects, including Portland’s Stark Raving Theatre.

The meeting will be held Tuesday, May 3 from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th (at Clay) in downtown Portland. Socializing begins at 6:30. The meeting is free to members, $5 for guests of members and $10 for non-members. More detailed information is available at www.willamettewriters.com.

Young Willamette Writers, for students from 6th – 10th grades, meet at the same time and place. The May meeting is the third in a series devoted to screenwriting. Meetings are free for YWWs and their escorts.

About Willamette Writers: Willamette Writers is the largest writers’ organization in Oregon and one of the largest in the United States. Founded in Portland in 1965, it has grown to over 1,100 members with branches in Eugene and Medford. For more information, please go to www.willamettewriters.com or call 503-452-1592.