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SCRIPT
NEWS - June 2009
CURRENT
PROJECTS
TENacity
Forging
a career as a writer requires drive, determination
and a certain degree of staying power. TENacity
is a targeted workshop programme designed to support
writers along that path, to challenge pre-conceptions
of the industry and to identify talented writers
in the West Midlands who would benefit from further
development.
Delivered
in collaboration with ten venues across the region,
TENacity will draw on the experience
of professional playwrights, screenwriters, producers
and theatre practitioners, to offer a unique focus
on the creative process. Where possible
tying into local productions of new work, Script
will give writers the chance to learn new skills
and ways of working in a practical, dynamic environment.
Wolverhampton
GENRE
BUSTING
Writing
Genre Material that is fresh, ground-breaking
and original
Saturday
27th June 2009, 10am-5pm
Led by
TV/Film Producer Claire Ingham and screenwriter
and TV co-producer Phil Ford
How can
writers write TV/Film genre pieces and still keep
their work feeling fresh and new?
What strategies
can be employed to satisfy the conventions of
genre and the genre audience – without becoming
formulaic? This day-long workshop will discuss
and look at TV and film genre examples that moved
our ideas of the genre on, dealing particularly
(but not exclusively) with thriller and science
fiction pieces. By the end of the day, writers
should have some new ideas about how to challenge
themselves when writing genre material.
Cost:
£50 (£45 concession)
To
Book: Visit the Screen
page
Newcastle-under-Lyme
INDEPENDENCE
DAY: WRITING FOR BRITISH FILM
Saturday
4th July, 10am-5pm
Led
by TV/Film Producer Claire Ingham, with Dan Lawson
(Screen WM)
What
kinds of feature films are currently being greenlit
in the UK? Who's funding them, and how do
you get your foot on the ladder as a new writer?
An overview of the films that have been made in
the last few years: trends, funders, writing schemes;
and how to gain access to development funding,
commissioners and producers.
Cost:
£50 (£45 concessions)
To
book: Visit the Screen
page
Shrewsbury
3D
TO 3G STORYTELLING: NEW NARRATIVE STRUCTURES AND
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITERS AND DRAMA PRACTITIONERS
Saturdayn
11th July, 10am-5pm
Gateway
Arts Centre, Shrewsbury
Led by
TV/Film producer Claire Ingham and novelist, screen
and games writer Graham Joyce
From the
traditionall structured TV and film stories that
attempt to appeal to wide audiences (the audiences
ITV controller Peter Fincham called '3G' - 3 generations
watching together), to the 3D structures of games
and online drama that cater for specialised or
niche audiences, this day-long course looks at
new ways of telling dramatic stories across screens
of all sizes.
Cost:
£50 (£45 concessions)
To
book: Visit the Screen
page
Birmingham
CHARACTER
INCUBATION: FINDING YOUR VOICE
Saturday
18th July, 10am-5pm
Led
by Malika Booker
Where
do characters come from? How do you create,
develop and nurture a 3-dimensional, believable
individual and give them a voice that will transcend
the page? Storyteller Malika Booker will
take you through the process of exploring and
building characters in script and performance
using practical exercises and examples from existing
dramatic monologues.
Venue:
The Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Cost:
£50 (£45 concessions)
To
book: Visit the Stage
page
Bromsgrove
VISUAL
IMPACT: WRITING FOR THE SCREEN
Saturday
25th July, 10am-5pm
Led
by TV/Film Producer Claire Ingham and award-winning
novelist and screenwriter, Helen Cross
Writing
for the screen demands many of the skills a writer
uses in creating short stories, novels, radio
and theatre plays - but it also requires new ways
of visualising and thinking about plots and characters.
How difficult is it to make the transition from
prose storytelling to writing for the screen,
and what are the tricks of the trade?
Using
a mixture of film clips, writing exercises and
practical advice, this course will encourage writers
to think visually about stories, characters, delivering
information and developing a visual style.
It will also include a session with award-winning
novelist and screenwriter Helen Cross, whose book
My Summer of Love became a BAFTA award-winning
feature film. Her first original screenplay,
Stratford Road, is currently in development
with Red Room Films and the UK Film Council.
Cost:
£50 (£45 concessions)
To
book: Visit the Screen
page
to: Script, Unit 107 The Greenhouse, The Custard
Factory, Gibb Street, Birmingham, B9 4AA
OPPORTUNITIES
AND COMPETITIONS...
STAGE...
Pint
Sized Plays 2009
Following
the great success of the first year of Pint-Sized
Plays, we're pleased to say that we're now launching
the 2009 competition. Pint-Sized Plays is
your opportunity to show just how imaginative
and original you can be in a 5-10 minute play.
We're looking for plays which show that small
is beautiful and plays that use a pub situation
in the most interesting, surprising, dramatic
or funny way possible. Your play should
have a minimum of two and a maximum of three characters
and be capable of being staged in a pub, using
only such furniture that is there, but adding
any costumes, props as can be carried by the cast.
The
ten winning plays will be performed in pubs in
Pembrokshire starting this Autumn during the Tenby
Arts Festival and then in other pubs around the
county. In October, there will be a "Script
Slam" in a theatre which showcases the ten
winning plays and lets the audience vote for their
favourite.
Deadline:
30th June 2009
Further
info: www.pintsizedplays.org.uk
The
Birmingham Repertory Theatre is now accepting
submissions for two new writing programmes:
GRASS ROUTES
We are
seeking artists aged 18-30 from throughout the
West Midlands for this exciting new six month
programme. Whether you're a playwright,
a performance poet or MC, if you're interested
in writing for live performance, then we're interested
in you.
We have
a limited number of spaces on this development
programme that will give you the chance to experiment
with new forms, support you in creating new material
and give you an opportunity to showcase your work.
Meeting every two weeks at The REP, and including
dedicated help from trained professionals, the
Grass Routes programme could be the chance you
need to take your work to the next level
THE
ATTACHMENT PROGRAMME
For
many years, the REP has run a highly successful
attachment programme for playwrights, providing
writers at any stage of their career with resources
and mentoring to develop a play for our studio
theatre. This year, the attachment is changing
and expanding to reflect fully the range of opportunities
for new writing at The REP. As well as providing
tailored support for you as you develop your new
play, The REP will also provide masterclasses
in all the different areas of new writing we cover.
Over the course of the year, this group of writers
will have a chance to step outside of their comfort
zone and experiment with new ways of writing.
The programme will end with a week-long showcase
Deadline
(for both schemes): 1 July 2009
Further
info: http://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/participate/for-everyone/writing/
or phone 0121 245 2045
Hotbed
One Page Play Competition
Hotbed's
new writing theatre festival is inviting writers
to submit a one-page play on the theme of "Competition"
Deadline:
1 July 2009
Full
details: Visit the Hotbed
website
A
New Voice
One-Act
Playwriting Competition 2009
The
Loft Theatre Company in Leamington Spa is launching
a competition to promote and encourage the writing
of new work, to be judged by BAFTA award-winning
writer Andrew Davies.
The
Loft is serious about theatre and aims to stimulate
interest in plays and the theatre, to give a voice
to unknown writers and to keep the spirit of local
theatre alive.
This
year we are pleased to announce a new play writing
competition. We are looking for a one-act
original play in any style.
Full
details: www.loft-theatre.co.uk/news/writers.php
Enquiries:
ad@loft-theatre.co.uk
Deadline:
30 July 2009
The
Alfred Fagon Award
The
Alfred FAgon Award is the pre-eminent Award for
playwrights of African and Caribbean descent.
It was established in 1996 in memory of the late
Jamaican playwright and actor, Alfred Fagon.
In 2009 the winner will be awarded £5000
in recognition of their outstanding achievement
in the art of playwriting. Already an annual
feature in the theatre calendar, this high-profile
Award will be presented to the recipient at the
Cottesloe, National Theatre followed by a staged
reading at the end of November 2009. To enter,
you will need to submit your play, a CV, a brief
synopsis of your entry, and confirmation of Caribbean
and/or African heritage as well as your residency
in the UK.
Deadline:
1 August 2009
Full
Details: Visit www.alfredfagonaward.co.uk
HighTide
Festival
HighTide
are looking to produce new scripts from emerging
writers for the fourth HighTide Festival, which
will take place in May 2010. Writers may
submit one unproduced full-length play.
Further
info: www.hightide.org.uk
Deadline:
1 August 2009
Peter
Wolff Supports The Whiting Award
This
national playwriting award, originally established
by the Arts Council in 1965 as the John Whiting
Award, gives £6000 to the writer of a new
play that demonstrates an original and distinctive
development in dramatic writing. For this
year's award, eligible plays must have had their
first performance between 1 August 2008 and 31
July 2009.
Further
info: http://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/participate/for-everyone/writing/
Deadline:
17 August 2009
Short
or Full-Length, Kali wants your scripts
Are
you an Asian woman with something to say?
Then Kali wants to hear from you. The organisation
encourages, develops and presents high quality
new theatre writing by Asian women and is looking
for original and inspiring new theatre scripts.
Selected writers will receive dramaturgical support
to develop their script for the next Kali festival
on 2010.
Deadline:
31st August 2009
Further
info: www.kalitheatre.co.uk
STAGE
International Script Competition
STAGE
(Scientists, Technologist, and Artists Generating
Exploration) is a collaboration between The Professional
Artists Lab and the California NanoSystems Institute
at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
They are offering a prize of $10,000 for the best
play exploring themes surrounding science and/or
technology. The prize will be awarded at a public
event with distinguished professionals from the
worlds of theatre, film, science, and technology,
in conjunction with a staged reading/performance/demonstration
with a cast of professional actors. Authors are
strongly urged to avoid the stereotypes often
assigned to science, technology, and those who
engage in these disciplines, and the competition
is not open to plays written in the genre of science
fiction.
Further
information: http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/stage/guidelines/guidelines.html
Deadline:
15th December 2009
Sampad
International Writing Competition
An opportunity
for aspiring writers from or connected to the
South Asian Diaspora around the world.
Journeys...a
real or imagined journey, back to your roots,
homeland, or a journey of the heart.
You
can write in any style, using the theme of journeys
as a starting point: use your imagination to evoke
memories, sensations, your feelings about a journey
you have made - in your dreams or in real life
- voyage of self-discovery, back to your roots.
If you
would like to take part, call 0121 452 8899 or
visit the website: www.sampad.org.uk
for more details and an entry form
Deadline:
31 December 2009
National
Theatre Of Scotland: Call for Submissions
National
Theatre of Scotland takes theatre all over the
country and beyond, working with existing and
new venues, artists and companies to create and
tour world class theatre. We are looking for new
plays by writers who are inventive and fearless.
We want to be stimulated, challenged and excited
by writers with a strong theatrical imagination
and a nose for complex and urgent subject matter.
Further
information: www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/newwork
The
Group: Call for Submissions
The
Group consists of Equity members, whose monthly
meetings at Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London
focuses on reading & giving feedback on new
plays, both theatre, television & radio scripts
with the playwright present at the reading - followed
by an indepth discussion from all attendees, both
cast members & other members of The Group,
both actors & writers.
We
welcome submissions of new plays.
Further
information: www.thegroup-scriptreaders.com,
& contact Shenagh Govan at shenagh.govan@thegroup-scriptreaders.com
RADIO
Newsjack
The
BBC have a new topical sketch show, and it's open
to everyone to write for. Newsjack takes
a comical look at the week's news stories.
The pilot aired on Thursday 4th June and the series
proper began on Thursday 18th June. If you
want to write for Newsjack, listen to the show
(available on iplayer). Submit your material
for each show on of before noon on Monday each
week. For full details, visit the Newsjack
website
Scottish
Radio Lab
The
Scottish Book Trust and BBC Scotland Radio Drama
are now planning the next RAdio Lab. This
Lad is particularly aimed at emerging and established
writers who are already working in other media.
It is open to poets, prose writers an dramatists.
The Lab will include a mixture of practical workshops
and projects and talks from experienced radio
producers and writers. The Lab will also
include a day during which writers will have the
chance to hear their work being rehearsed and
recorded by professional actors. This opportunity
is only open to those living and working in Scotland
who have been professionally published, or have
had a professional production of their work.
Deadline:
Friday 17th Jul 2009, 4pm
Full
details: www.scottishbooktrust.com
RADIO
4 COMMISSIONING GUIDELINES
If
you've ever thought about writing for Radio 4,
take a look at the BBC's Commissioning Guidelines:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/commissioning.shtml
SCREEN...
CBBC
New Stories for the Next Generation
Do you
have stories to tell that we've never seen before?
Can
you create stories the audience will fall in love
with?
We want
to find the next generation of CBBC writers with
fresh perspectives, original voices and the ability
to create unforgettable characters.
This
opportunity is available to any writer who wants
to write for Children's drama for the 6-12 age
range. We are looking for 30-minute original
TV scripts of unmissable and infectious storytelling,
offering fresh cultural perspectives, tales combining
authority with hope and joy, stories from a child's
point of view, characters that will engage and
surprise the audience, scripts that are powerful,
emotional and contemporary, shows that will work
for the CBBC audience and channel but can dare
to take risks.
Full
details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom
Deadline:
5pm, Wednesday 1 July 2009
Sir
Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award
Each
year, The Foundation of The International Academy
of Television Arts & Sciences administers
the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting
Award.
The
competition is designed to motivate non-American
novice writers under the age of 30, and to offer
them the recognition and encouragement that might
lead to a successful career in television scriptwriting.
Entrants are asked to create a completed half-hour
to one-hour (commercial length) English-language
television drama script for a family audience.
The
winner will be flown to New York City to be presented
with an Award and a $2,500 prize at the International
Emmy World Television Festival on November 21,
2009. The winning script will be read by
actors in front of an audience at the Festival,
and the winner will be invited to take part in
the red carpet festivities at the 37th International
Emmy Awards on November 23.
To
find out more and apply, please visit the website:
http://iemmys.tv/foundation.aspx
Deadline:
15th July, 2009
UK
Film Council
The
UK Film Council has a fund available to broaden
the quality, range, and ambition of film projects
being developed in the UK and to build a talent
driven home for writers, directors, and producers.
The First Feature Film Development Programme aims
to identify and support emerging filmmakers: screenwriters,
writer/directors, and writer-director-producer
teams who have not yet had a feature film released
theatrically or broadcast on UK television. Generally,
awards of up to £25,000 will be offered
to screenwriters or writer-directors to write
and develop a feature film.
Further
information: http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/development
BBC
Film Network
Film
Network is the BBC's short film showcase, screening
short films from new British Filmmakers, with
four new shorts every week. The site also provides
filmmakers with tools to create online profiles
and exchange tips, advice and ideas and allows
audiences to comment on and rate the films. It
also provides links to all the great online resources
that already exist through the Filmmakers Guide.
The site is currently trialing but will launch
fully in October.
Further information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/
TRAINING
AND EVENTS...
25
June 2009
ILLUMINATE:
DIALOGUE
The
Art of Playwriting in a Culturally Diverse Scotland
CCA,
Glasgow (1.30pm-6pm)
Illuminate
investigates varying aspects of contemporary theatre
practice, as part of the Playwrights' Studio's
commitment to exploring and developing the art
form of theatre. Our event will be an afternoon
of debate and new thinking on the subject of cultural
diversity in Scotland's theatre industry; open
to established and aspiring artists, decision-makers,
and opinion formers in theatre writing, commissioning,
programming and casting.
Tickets:
£15 (including refreshments and
wine reception)
To
book: Email info@playwrightsstudio.co.uk
or phone 0141 332 4403
26
June-4 July 2009
HOTBED
FESTIVAL
The
Cambridge New Writing Festival is back, bigger
and better than ever with ten days of amazing
new plays. Throughout the festival there
will be premieres of new work, including one-act
plays, full-length readings and experimental pieces,
featuring work from some of the UK's best and
brightest playwrights.
Venue:
The Junction, Cambridge
Futher
details: www.menagerie.uk.com
27-28
June 2009
DEALING
WITH WRITING
State
of the Nation
Workshop
Leaders: Noel Greig and Philip Osment
Weekend
workshops by the sea for every writer
Arthur
Miller's play Death of a Salesman takes
the small story of a family and through it examines
the great matter of the American Dream.
In her play Light Shining on Buckinghamshire,
Caryl Churchill reveals the historical routes
of the English opposition to authoritarianism.
Bertold Brecht's Threepenny Opera exposes
the collusion between organised crime and corrupt
politics.
What
are the new plays today that have such breadth
of vision? How can playwrights and theatre
makers approach the challenge of creating work
that addresses the great questions of the day?
How do small individual stories throw light on
our collective experience? In a society
with deep divisions, is it possible to write the
'state of the nation play'?
The
weekend will explore such questions, through a
stimulating mixture of practical writing, examination
of extant work and tutor-led discussion.
As well as for committed writers, it is also recommended
to people involved in developing work with community
groups, youth groups and students.
Supported
by New Writing South
Cost:
£175
Venue:
Royal Hotel, Deal, Kent
Bookings:
01304 367625 or info@dealingwithwriting.com
Website:
www.dealingwithwriting.com
29
June - 5 July
THE
SCREENLIT FESTIVAL, NOTTINGHAM
The
first ever Screenlit Film, TV and Writing Festival
will celebrate the writers' seminal contribution
to 21st Century culture through the narratives
of film, tv, books and the ever expanding range
and forms of new media
Professional
development events include:
3
July, 3pm - Paul Schrader Screenwriting Masterclass
In a
two-hour lecture illustrated with clips, screenwriter
Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull)
outlines a theory and method of screenwriting,
drawing on his lengthy and prestigious career
as filmmaker and film critic. £20 full/
£15 concessions
30
June, 8pm - BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum
A platform
for new writing, including three selected 10 min
script extracts performed live on stage with Q&As
with the writers. Plus Q&A with host
and Rocliffe founder Farah Abushwesha and industry
co-chair director David Morrissey. £5 full/
£4 concession
2
July, 5.45pm - The Script Factory Training: Truth
and Fiction
Writer
and lecturer Rob Ritchie presents a workshop on
the art of adapting existing stories for the screen,
considering various creative approaches and practical
principles. £15 full/ £12 concessions
3
July, 5.30pm - BBC writersroom Roadshow with Kate
Rowland
A free
event giving the opportunity to put questions
to the BBC's Creative Director, New Writing, Kate
Rowland on the process a prospective script goes
through when it reaches the BBC. FREE but
must be booked beforehand.
3
July, 8pm - BBC writersroom presents Five
Minutes of Heaven plus Q&A with screenwriter
Guy Hibbert
Following
a screening of Five Minutes from Heaven,
the BBC's Creative Director, New Writing, Kate
Rowland discusses with Guy Hibbert the process
that resulted in his award-winning screenplay.
£6.20 full/ £4.50 concessions.
All
events for the Screenlit Festival, Nottingham
can be booked at:
www.broadway.org.uk/festival or by ringing
0115 952 6611
6
July 2009 (7.45pm)
WRITERS'
GUILD WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH MEETING
Come
and meet Hamish Glen, Artistic Director or the
Coventry Belgrade Theatre, who will talk about
the theatre since its recent re-opening and plans
for the future. This is also a networking
and forward planning event.
This
is a free event for Writers' Guild Members only
Please
confirm your attendance by emailing Jenny Stephens
at wmidwritersguild@aol.com
11
July 2009 (10am-4pm)
Swan
Playwrights presents:
STAGE
BUSINESS
Led
by Michael Wyndham Thomas, poet and dramatist
The
workshop will include extracts from plays, writing
exercises, and discussion of playwriting experiences.
Sponsored by Worcestershire
County Council
Cost:
£10 with pub lunch
Venue:
The Rose Theatre, Kidderminster
2-4
October 2009, 29-31 January 2010
WRITING
DRAMA FOR TELEVISION
3-day
residential course in idyllic Sussex
A course
designed to assist students with getting a vital
insight into the television industry as well as
provide practical and creative support on drama
scripts that are either complete or presently
being written, or concepts that are at the early
stages of development. This course is suitable
for anyone who has the desire to write a script
and needs some support in how to start!
Course
tutors are two industry executives both working,
commissioning and developing television drama.
Between them work credits include Where the
Heart Is, New Tricks, Rome, Hotel Babylon, Holby
City, Dream Team
Venue:
Tilton House, Sussex
Cost:
£395 (includes course fees, shared
accommodation, meals and refreshments throughout
the weekend)
To
book: Email nicolalarder@yahoo.co.uk
to check availability and book your place
JOBS
Birmingham
Repertory Theatre
Playwriting
Officer (Schools)
Further
information is available at www.birmingham-rep.co.uk
Writer
in residence for playwright with disability
£15k
Scotland's
Bird of Paradise Theatre is offering a commission
and a residency of 18 months to a disabled playwright.
The residency will allow the writer the time and
space to research and develop their own work and
produce a script. The position will also
include delivering outreach activities relating
to the residency.
For
further information, contact all@birdsofparadisetheatre.co.uk
or call 0141 339 1155
Closing
date: Friday 10th July, 5pm
Programme
Manager at New Writing North
2.5
days per week, £10k per annum (fixed term
for 24 months)
New
Writing North are looking to recruit a part-time
Programme Manager to work on the delivery of our
Read Regional programme and associated new events,
and to co-ordinate and expand our regional book
group network. Applications are welcomed
from people who can demonstrate a keen interest
in literarature and who have experience of event
management and arts marketing and who are able
to work across the region both during the day
and at evenings and weekends. A job pack is available
to download from www.newwritingnorth.com
DO
YOU HAVE SOME NEWS YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE
SCRIPT MEMBERSHIP? If so, then e-mail
info@scriptonline.net by the end of the month
and it will go into the following month's Newsletter.
Script
asks you to note: These listings are drawn from
varying sources, all current at time of publishing.
Script
endeavours to investigate and validate all information
and opportunities listed here. We advise you to
make contact with companies before submitting
scripts.
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