Inciting Incidents: Workshop with Ola Animashawun

Led by acclaimed dramaturg and playwrighting facilitator Ola Animashawun, this practical and exploratory workshop is open to writers at any stage of their journey. Whether you’re picking up a pen for the first time or returning to your craft with new questions, this session will help you focus on the all-important inciting incident, the moment that sets everything in motion.

We’ll explore how to kick off a play in a way that grabs attention, opens up dramatic possibilities, and carries the weight of what’s to come. Through conversation, exercises, and shared thinking, we’ll consider:

What makes a compelling starting point?
Can your idea carry a full dramatic journey?
How do structure and momentum grow from that first spark?

You don’t need a polished idea to take part—just curiosity, creativity, and a desire to stretch your storytelling muscles. And who knows—this might just be the inciting incident that sets your next play in motion.