The Ladies’ Room
Location: Istituto San Lodovico, Orvieto (TN), Italy
Dates: Sunday, June 8 – Sunday, June 15, 2025
Leader: Liz Hara & Jill Twiss
Location: Istituto San Lodovico, Orvieto (TN), Italy
Dates: Sunday, June 8 – Sunday, June 15, 2025
Leader: Liz Hara & Jill Twiss
A comedy workshop for female and female-identifying writers to build and hone our comedy chops!
We’ll be cracking jokes and taking up space in this collaborative class, learning how to lady-spread in the world of comedy.
Come join us for a week in Italy where you’ll be taught the fundamentals of writing for television by veteran Emmy-winning writer Liz Hara (Sesame Street, Life in Pieces, Marvel’s Moongirl and Devil Dinosaur) and Emmy-winning late night comedy writer, Jill Twiss (HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, New York Times #1 Bestseller A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo).
We’ll cover three-act structure, character development, and the rules of comedy—because who doesn’t love rules?! We’ll also learn real-life skills like writers’ room etiquette, how to “punch up” a script, and how to develop and pitch a show.
The bulk of the week will be spent running our workshop like a real writers’ room, so come prepared with an idea (even a kernel is great!) and be ready to “beat out” your story—and the stories of the other writers!—in this supportive and collaborative environment. You’ll leave the workshop with a loose outline for a television pilot, as well as a new network of other women writers. Plus we’ll be in Italy, so there will be cappuccinos and gelato a’plenty!
This workshop is designed to advance women in the largely cis white male-dominated field of comedy. Chances are you’ll be the funniest person in the room (Sorry, Doug!), and with these skills under your belt, you will have the chops and the confidence to make sure your voice is heard.
Sunday: Arrival & Welcome Dinner
Monday-Saturday: Morning workshops; afternoon writing time and 1-to-1 coaching
Sunday: Departure
About the Venue: We will be staying in the gorgeous medieval hill town of Orvieto, in Central Italy, where PageCraft hosts other screenwriting retreats. You can find more information about Orvieto and the venue HERE.
Accommodations: Participants will share rooms. There may be a few exceptions based on available accommodations and numbers. If you have special needs that make sharing a room impossible, please contact us to discuss options.
Early registration discount: $150
This discount requires that you apply by February 28 and that you make a 50% deposit upon confirmation of admission.
Registration covers:
Participants will be invoiced through PayPal. If you wish to use a credit card, you can do so through PayPal.
If you are interested, please write to us at info@pagecraftwriting.com. 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.
Applicants accepted into the program are expected to:
IMPORTANT NOTES