Alone Together: The Communal Solitude of Writers Retreats
Reflections on the importance retreating away from everyday life- together.
Retreats as community
At APT, we value and advocate for playwriting as a craft and a career. We also know that it can be an incredibly isolating experience and, for most Australian playwrights, a juggle of competing projects, deadlines and jobs.
This is why we will always be advocates for Writing Retreats. Not only do retreats provide writers with the opportunity to cocoon themselves away from the ever-present (and frankly, rude) writing distractions like parenting, secondary jobs, meal prep, or just general life admin, but it can also provide community for what can otherwise be an experience of isolation.
“Writers retreats can provide community for what can otherwise be an experience of isolation.“
Our Creative Producer – NSW, MoJo Orbase, has been on both sides of a Retreat. In 2023, she produced our Untold Stories Retreat at Shark Island Institute in the Kangaroo Valley, and has recently returned from her very first writers retreat at Bundanon, on beautiful Dharawal and Dhurga country.
“It felt like such a rare privilege to be afforded the opportunity of a Writers Retreat,” she said, having attended as part of ATYP’s National Studio Program.
“The Retreat allowed me to immerse myself fully in the writing process. Since I mostly work as a producer, I felt the biggest case of imposter syndrome before going on Retreat. Those fears immediately dissipated as soon as I was surrounded by fellow emerging writers who were also passionate about storytelling. Their support gave me the courage to try new things, make bolder choices, and believe in myself. I came out of the Retreat feeling confident enough to now call myself a writer.”
“It was also a vital lifeline to have a dramaturg at hand. It was like having an on-call doctor, ready to rescue you when needed (or to tell you you’re perfectly healthy, stop worrying and go outside and sit in the sun for a bit). The option to go to them in real time for feedback and provocations, or for help in navigating challenges – it was invaluable.”
“The option to go to [a dramaturg] in real-time for feedback and provocations, or for help in navigating challenges – it was invaluable.”
APT’s First Nations Playwrights Retreat
Our long-running Australian First Nations Playwrights Retreat held at Bundanon each year will take place again this October. This Retreat goes for 10 days – a relatively long time away from home and a notable break from the every day, allowing artists to find the rhythm of their writing, reconnect with peers, and build new relationships across the country.
The dynamics of playwriting make it a unique practice. It can involve hours of solitude before needing other voices to speak your words out loud, wrestling with the gap between intention and affect. By bringing together playwrights on Retreat, it places fellow playwrights as the first audience of a growing idea, a position of trust and comradeship formed on Retreat like no other.
“the dynamics of playwriting make it a unique practice…hours of solitude before needing other voices”
At APT, we are growing the ways we support playwrights and the craft of playwriting, including some completely online programs, which, for some writers, is a better fit for their current lives and practice. However we will always remain strong believers in retreating from the everyday to find the space and time that allows Australian playwrights to dream – and write – big.
To get updates about our retreats, keep an eye on this space, or stay in touch with us via our socials or e-news.
