For anyone who ever thought they had an idea for a great play but could not seem to make it work, Tom Coash is offering help.

He’s an award-winning playwright, director and producer who cofounded BMDS’s Famous for 15 Minutes festival when he lived here roughly two decades ago.

Tomorrow he will share his expertise in a two-hour workshop that the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society’s Charitable Trust is putting on for free.

In return, participants are asked to show up ready to write – with pen and paper or a laptop, and lots of imagination. No playwriting experience is required.

The workshop will take place on Zoom. Writers can join in on the screen at Daylesford Theatre or in their home.

“It's all about writing new plays and getting people started who either have tried in the past or have never tried. As you know we run the Famous for 15 Minutes festival every year, so I think there's a lot of people interested in that but we're trying to get some new writers in,” said Mr Coash, who teaches script writing as part of the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast MFA writing programme.

Tomorrow’s workshop is about creating “believable characters”, something Mr Coash thought would be particularly useful as character development is “the thing that people have the most trouble with, and it's probably the most important thing”.

“It's one of those things that's sort of intimidating for people who have never written a play before but it really shouldn't be because it's really pretty fun and you can jump right into it,” he said.

“I approach it in a way that's fun. We will be doing writing exercises that are kind of like party games; exercises that sort of make clear what is good character development, what you are trying to do, and [explain] how it works. And then we’ll have questions and answers and discussion, and hopefully get people writing plays to submit to the festival.”

Mr Coash also hopes the workshop will help to alleviate the fears that often hold first-time writers back. Many aspiring playwrights talk themselves out of writing entirely because they get stuck or feel overwhelmed by self-imposed expectations.

“They think they’ve got to write a comedy, an abstract play, or an experimental piece. But when it comes to writing plays, you often hear that old trope: write about what you know. It’s actually one of the easiest ways to begin, and there are plenty of simple tricks to help people get started,” he said.

“People go on and on, for instance, about plot structure and plot points and so on when, really, it's very easy. Simplified, it's just that somebody wants something and there are obstacles and they get it or they don't. It's pretty easy.”

He encourages writers not to panic when they see a blank page but think in simple terms about how to get started and what they are aiming for.

“It's a lot easier than a lot of people think that it is. So that's my goal, that you come out of the workshop excited to write a new short play and be inspired a little bit; kind of have a feel about how to go about it.”

For years Mr Coash was amazed that although the writers all lived on an island, not a single submission to Famous for 15 Minutes was set on a boat.

“It's good to really think about where you are and how to use that. I always think that putting a play in a really interesting setting to start with, really makes a big difference. I think a good play, or any piece of good writing, takes you somewhere you haven't been before — hopefully physically, intellectually and emotionally — and if you can put it in a nice, interesting place right from the start, then you've got a good jump forward,” he said.

“In theatre, it's all about imagination. So you can really set your play anywhere, and then figure out a way to do it. One of the winners a few years ago [wrote about] the first diving bell in Bermuda, and it was fabulous. It was really great. It was one of the best settings that anybody's come up with for one of the plays there.”

On completion of his workshop, writers stand a good chance of having their play accepted into Famous for 15 Minutes. Submitted pieces are read by Mr Coash and “a committee of theatre professionals” who grade the plays “blind”.

“We just look for the best writing, really, which was always the thrust of the festival. It's not about which is the best production or which has the best actors, or directing, or any of that. It's why the visiting judge always chooses the play before they actually see the production — it's about the writing. And we look for particular things that go into writing good plays — character development and motivation and plot structure and dialogue …. I have a whole list of things that we look for.”

Although busy with theatre and his own work in the US, Mr Coash continues to contribute his time to the BMDS because of his love for the island.

"I love Bermuda, and so I love being connected. And I just really enjoy it. I like working with new playwrights. It’s fun.“

• Tom Coash’s workshop will be held tomorrow from 10am to noon at Daylesford Theatre. Writers are asked to register on bursary@bmds.bm. Admission is free. Join via Zoom on:https://maine.zoom.us/j/89325266552