Stage 32 8-Part Screenwriting Lab: Write your Sci-Fi or Fantasy Script in 8 Weeks

Private, interactive lab on Zoom with the writer and producer who brought STARGATE to Syfy

Get two one-on-one script consultations and personalized notes on your pages

Only 10 spots available 

Payment plans available at checkout or email edu@stage32.com for more info!

Sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural stories let you build worlds that couldn't exist anywhere else, and they remain some of the most sought-after material in the industry. These genres give you room to explore big ideas, entertain a devoted audience, and hold a mirror up to society, all in a single script. But an imaginative premise alone won't get you there. What gets a genre script noticed is the craft underneath it: strong characters, clear rules, escalating stakes, and an emotionally satisfying story. A finished, polished genre screenplay is one of the most valuable things you can have in your portfolio, and in this lab you'll write yours in just eight weeks.

If you've ever had a concept you loved and then watched it stall on the page, you're not alone. Many genre writers struggle with world-building, heavy exposition, and making characters feel real within extraordinary circumstances. Others start strong, then lose tension in Act II or can't land a satisfying ending. And too often, you're left to solve these problems on your own, with no one to tell you whether your world's logic holds or your stakes are truly escalating. That's exactly what this lab is designed to fix. You won't just learn the theory — you'll work through each of these challenges on your own script, with expert guidance along the way.

Guiding you is Thomas Vitale, a writer and producer who has spent his career deciding which genre stories get made. As EVP at NBCU's Syfy Channel and Chiller Network, Thomas oversaw more than 350 original movies, including SHARKNADO 1 & 2. He also developed, commissioned, or supervised series like FARSCAPE, Z NATION, and DARK MATTER, brought the STARGATE franchise to Syfy, and worked on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, EUREKA, and WAREHOUSE 13. Today he runs Vital Signs Entertainment, where he recently produced the sci-fi film 57 SECONDS, starring Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson. He was also a writer and Executive Producer on The CW's PANDORA. Few people have seen genre storytelling from both the writer's chair and the buyer's desk — and in this lab, you'll get that perspective applied directly to your script.

Over eight weeks, Thomas will take you from concept through a completed first draft. You'll start with genre fundamentals, your logline, and your outline. From there, you'll study the marketplace, build your world and characters, and nail your first ten pages. Then you'll write through the complications of Act II, deliver a satisfying third act, and finish with a rewrite, a polish, and the basics of a sales deck. Along the way, you'll have two private one-on-one consultations with Thomas to get personalized notes on your pages, a level of access to a former network executive that's rarely available to writers. You'll walk away with a completed sci-fi, fantasy, or supernatural screenplay, a clear understanding of where it fits in the market, and the tools to rewrite and pitch it with confidence.