Virtual is Real - Episodic Drama 2020
We won’t sugarcoat: it was heartbreaking to tell our four selected writers that we had to cancel our three week retreat in Nosara, Costa Rica and transform our program into a ‘virtual’ one. We didn’t have much time to mourn however because we all had to turn our attention to making the program as transformative as possible despite the changes. We also never lost sight that COVID-19 was creating much bigger hardships around the world.
For our newly conceived online program we stretched the experience from three to four weeks in order to provide intensive Writers' Room workshops and pitching experience. The group worked together to be mindful of each person’s unique quarantine life and navigate the strange realities of bonding creatively over Zoom. We also increased the number of Mentors for the program, which allowed us to make carefully customized pairings for each Writer and their project. These Mentors were exceptional and rose above and beyond the challenges of the situation, even without the perk of being in a beautiful tropical location. Our Writers brought their best to each projects’s sessions, helping each other and exploring the skeletons in their own creative closets. All Writers and Mentors stepped up even more than usual to create a uniquely valuable collaborative experience for which we are deeply grateful.
In the words of our Episodic Drama 2020 writers:
“Three weeks later and with the group’s help, I had crafted a pitch that explored depths I’d never been able to access before. I knew the direction my show would take, the meaning it held, and how to express everything from plot to promise, all within a 25-minute pitch.”
“While it didn’t take place in Costa Rica, the program still provided a mental and spiritual retreat which ultimately brought me back to creative center... From the first nomination email all the way through to our virtual goodbye toast, I’ve felt so seen and supported by this process.”
“The SWC experience has already changed my time at the desk dramatically. I feel more plugged into what inspires me, and more adept at finding my way to that well-spring when the vision gets cloudy.”
“The Colony also gave me an understanding of the collaborative process of writing a series. Our “virtual writers rooms,” led by four incredible mentors, was critical training. I now feel prepared to contribute to other writers’ series — not just my own.”
Yes, we missed the benefits of taking walks on the beach together and having late night talks. But the truth is we watched through our screens as these writers’ projects evolved as well as any cohort we’ve ever seen. Do we want to do another “virtual” Colony? No. But we couldn’t have asked for a better group of Writers and Mentors to make this one exceptional.
