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Orvieto Retreat Registration

Leader: Heidi Hornbacher
Concept to Pages (two week program): Sunday, May 25 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
Foundations & Structure (Week One): Sunday, May 25 – Saturday, May 31, 2025
Scenes & Dialogue (Week Two): Sunday, June 1 – Saturday, June 7, 2025

Two-Week Program

Price:  $4300
.

Shared room discount: −$400 per participant (requires two participants)
Surcharge, non-participating spouse or partner (with whom you share a room): $650

Discount for previous participants, Italian retreats: $400
Discount for previous participants, L.A. & online workshops: $200
Note: These two discounts are not cumulative; you are eligible for only one.

Early registration discount: apply by December 31, 2024: $300
Note: You must apply by the stated date and make a $1000 deposit immediately upon confirmation of admission.

The registration covers:

  • Coaching, mentoring & tuition (see PROGRAM information).
  • 13 nights lodging at Istituto San Lodovico (see the VENUE).
  • 13 continental breakfasts.
  • Welcome dinner and farewell dinner.
  • Key to the City (ticket package for Orvieto’s sights and museums).
  • Pickup and dropoff at the Orvieto train station, if required.
  • Two Alumni Drop-In sessions (see Important Notes, below).

One-Week Program

Week 1 Price: $2300
Week 2 Price: $2400 (includes pre-session)

Shared room discount: −$250 per participant (requires two participants)
Surcharge, non-participating spouse or partner (with whom you share a room): $350

Discount for previous participants, Italian retreats: $200
Discount for previous participants, L.A. & online workshops: $100
Note: These two discounts are not cumulative; you are eligible for only one.

Early registration discount: apply by December 31, 2024: $150
Note: You must apply by the stated date and make a $1000 deposit immediately upon confirmation of admission.

The registration covers:

  • Coaching, mentoring & tuition (see PROGRAM information).
  • 6 nights lodging at Istituto San Lodovico (see the VENUE).
  • 6 continental breakfasts.
  • Welcome dinner (week 1 participants) or farewell dinner (week 2 participants).
  • Key to the City (ticket package for Orvieto’s sights and museums)
  • Pickup and dropoff at the Orvieto train station, if required.
  • Two Alumni Drop-In sessions (see Important Notes, below).
  • Week Two participants only: outline review and feedback session (via Zoom) prior to arrival.

How to Apply

If you are interested, please write to us at info@pagecraftwriting.com. Unless you are a PageCraft alumnus, please include a 5-page writing sample in PDF format and brief answers to the questions listed below. We will then schedule a conversation with you, so we can discuss your interest and background.

  1. What is your screenwriting or storytelling experience? (max 75 words)
  2. What is a brief description or logline of the script you would like to rewrite? (max 75 words)
  3. Why does this story matter to you? Why do you want to write it? (max 75 words)
  4. What is your favorite piece of writing advice or mentoring that you’ve received? (max 75 words)
  5. What is a writing note you have received that you disagreed with, and how did you handle it? (max 75 words)
  6. How did you hear about PageCraft?

Once we review your application, we will schedule an informal interview. In addition, we require:

  1. $1,000 deposit upon admission.
  2. Additional $1,000 deposit by March 31, 2025 (two-week program participants only).
  3. Balance May 1, 2025 (regardless of date of admission).
  4. Signature of a standard liability waiver (to be provided later) by May 10, 2024.

Method of Payment

Participants will be invoiced through PayPal. If you wish to use a credit card, you can do so through PayPal. For U.S. students we can also arrange to accept checks or money orders. For international students, we can arrange wire transfers, but we ask that students cover the fees.

Cancellation Policy

On/before March 15, 2025: payments are refundable net of PayPal fees. On March 16, 2025: 10% of your full registration cost becomes nonrefundable. On April 16, 2025, 20% of your full registration cost becomes nonrefundable. On May 10, 2025, your full registration cost becomes non refundable. We will offer PageCraft credits for costs we are able to recover, but we cannot guarantee whether or to what extent we will be able to do so.

This is a small retreat that runs on a tight budget with up-front costs, which makes refunds for late cancellations difficult. Please see about travel or personal insurance to cover illnesses and emergencies. Any questions, please talk to us.

Lodging Arrangements

All rooms are en suite. Prices are based on single rooms.

If two participating writers are willing to share a room, each two-week participant will receive a $400 discount on their registration. Each single-week participant will receive a $250 discount on their registration.

The cost of bringing a spouse or partner who will share your room but not participate in the retreat is an additional $650 ($350 for single-week participants). Your partner will receive a Key to the City and be welcome in our group activities, like the welcome and farewell dinners. The retreat is not open to non-participating friends/acquaintances.

If you require special accommodations, please contact us. If for some reason we cannot meet your needs, we will help you explore alternatives through AirBnB or at other Orvieto hotels, including the Hotel Palazzo Piccolomini next door, and reduce your registration rate by $600 ($300 for single-week participants).

Important Notes

  • It is our belief that great writing groups make great progress. We endeavor to ensure that each retreat is filled with adaptable, capable writers who can have a positive effect on one another. We therefore reserve the right to refuse any applicant for any reason, and we expect all participants to adhere to our Code of Conduct.
  • Participants registering for Week Two only (Outline to Pages) must submit a completed treatment or detailed story outline approximately 3 weeks in advance of the program and participate in a review session on Zoom with the workshop leader prior to the the retreat.
  • Admissions are rolling. Once courses are full, we will maintain a waiting list. Failure to meet any of the deadlines listed above may be construed as cancellation.
  • Students may change the writing project they plan to work on, but they must agree on the switch with the retreat leader.
  • Two Alumni Drop-In sessions are included in the registration fee, provided they are used within 2 months of the final workshop session, and provided that you present pages from the script created or rewritten during the workshop. Otherwise normal rates apply.
  • Please note that PageCraft leaders are working writers. It has not yet happened, but there is always the possibility that a leader may be pulled away unavoidably due to the demands of an employer or a creative project. In such an event, we will make every effort to bring in a qualified replacement.
  • If we must cancel a workshop for any reason, we will refund all money paid to us. We suggest not purchasing airline tickets until we confirm all details of the program with you. We are not responsible for air fares or other costs incurred by prospective students. Please look into travel insurance.
  • We will do our best to accommodate applicants with impaired mobility. However, it is important to understand that medieval Italian hill towns like Orvieto are challenging. There are cobblestones, uneven steps, and ancient buildings. Rarely do you find ramps. There are elevators at our host venue, but they are very small and not step free. Additionally, many of our optional group outings involve walking.