# Event Details - **Event Name**: Mary Ruth Clarke & Tonya Coats - The Crisis Decision: A Scene Competition - **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 20 Nov, 2025 at 09:30 am - **Event Description**: "The crisis forces the protagonist to make a decision that will determine the outcome of the story’s central conflict. It’s a do-or-die moment with no room for error. " (Robert McKee, Story). A crisis decision is a revelation of true character because it is a choice made under pressure; one that could cause us to achieve our desire or lose what we want forever. The crisis forces your protagonist to face a true dilemma—to choose between two irreconcilable goods or the lesser of two evils in a situation of extreme urgency. How to effectively represent that dilemma through dialogue is the objective of this session. Participants are invited to submit their scenes no later than Thursday, October 30 for consideration as examples to be read by professional actors at the workshop. If this is part of a larger work, participants should also send along brief bullet points that will get us up to speed on what we need to know. SUBMIT HERE FOR THE CONTEST: Manuscripts@OCWW.INFO We’ll jump right into reading your scenes, followed by a Bonus Presentation: Get Your Work on the Radar - Fast. In this 20-minute talk, award-winning screenwriter Dr. Tonya Coats shows how to target the right contests, package winning submissions, and leverage Intellectual Property (IP)—whether you’re adapting your own books or seeking partners. Learn where to find opportunities, avoid red flags, and build a submission plan that opens doors to reps, labs, and producers. Submission Criteria: Plays, Screenplays, Teleplays 2-3 characters preferred Maximum 6 pages Formatting Criteria: Click here for formatting criteria for the Dramatists Guild. Click here for formatting guidelines for screenplays or teleplays MARY RUTH CLARKE is a screenwriter and playwright, best known for Meet the Parents film franchise, starring Robert De Niro. She is on the faculty of the Second City Film School and heads up the screenwriting/television program at Chicago Dramatists and Story Studio. She is a screenplay consultant for clients in LA and Chicago. Dr. TONYA COATS, OCWW's Vice-President is a native Chicagoan and semi-retired Family Physician. She has completed two novels available for publication that she is adapting to screenplays. Her poetry has placed 1 st in the Social Science category of the 2021 Poets & Patrons of Chicagoland contest. She has placed essays in the New York Times, Riverteeth Journal and Memoir Magazine, to name a few. Onsite and remote. Register at: https://ocww.info/event-6282820 - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/winnetka/mary-ruth-clarke-and-tonya-coats-the-crisis-decision-a-scene-competition/200029143340519 - **Event Categories**: contests, art, literary-art, entertainment, workshops, theatre, nonprofit - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 3 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket URL**: https://ocww.info/event-6282820?utm_source=AllEvents.in&utm_medium=event-discovery-platform&utm_campaign=winnetka-events ## Event venue details - **city**: Winnetka - **state**: IL - **country**: United States - **location**: 620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL - **lat**: 42.10815 - **long**: -87.73326 - **full address**: 620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL, United States ## Event Organizer details - **affiliate_id**: 2 - **organizer**: Off Campus Writers' Workshop — OCWW (https://allevents.in/org/off-campus-writers-workshop-—-ocww/26522407) ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: banner - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/5ce79b5ca39497ec0d6e44109eeb34d82bfc2684e11ecb9087a6b49f06334177-rimg-w1040-h520-dcffffff-gmir?v=1763479941 - **Alt text**: thumbnail - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/6909d9cadbe6496066d235810cd4f946303d3c9803b398b732047be0fdd310a0-rimg-w300-h300-dcffffff-gmir?v=1763479942 ## FAQs - **Q**: When is the event happening? - **A:** Thu, 20 Nov, 2025 at 09:30 am - **Q**: Where is the event happening? - **A:** 620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL, United States - **Q**: Who is organizing the event? - **A:** Off Campus Writers' Workshop — OCWW - **Q**: What type of event is this? - **A:** contests, art, literary-art, entertainment, workshops, theatre, nonprofit - **Q**: Where can I find ticket details about Mary Ruth Clarke & Tonya Coats - The Crisis Decision: A Scene Competition ? - **A:** You can find ticket details about this event on AllEvents. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Mary Ruth Clarke & Tonya Coats - The Crisis Decision: A Scene Competition", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/5ce79b5ca39497ec0d6e44109eeb34d82bfc2684e11ecb9087a6b49f06334177-rimg-w1040-h520-dcffffff-gmir?v=1763479941", "startDate": "2025-11-20", "url": "https://allevents.in/winnetka/mary-ruth-clarke-and-tonya-coats-the-crisis-decision-a-scene-competition/200029143340519", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "620 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093-2331, United States", "addressLocality": "Winnetka", "addressRegion": "IL", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "42.10815", "longitude": "-87.73326" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "\"The crisis forces the protagonist to make a decision that will determine the outcome of the story’s central conflict. 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