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SCRIPT
NEWS - July/August 2008
Script
is currently embarking on an international project,
partnered with Pentabus and funded by the Leondardo
Da Vinci Mobility Programme, to send professional
playwrights on two-week placements to theatres
in Europe. Playwright Alan Pollock (whose
play One Night in November is returning
to The Belgrade, Coventry in November) will be
hosted by Druid Theatre in Galway from 14-25 July.
Take a look at his blog at:
http://scriptonline.blogspot.com
Further
placements will take place later in the year at
Fishamble Theatre, Dublin and Riksteatern, the
Swedish national touring theatre. Details
of the project can be found at
www.scriptonline.net/Leonardo.html
Script,
in collaboration with Red Room Films and Tindal
Street Press, have selected 15 writers to develop
screen treatments for an adaptation. A workshop
was held on 7/8 June for the writers, and they
submitted their completed treatments on 4th July.
The treatments are currently being assessed and
5 writers will be selected for further support.
Further details of the writers and their
proposals can be found at:
www.scriptonline.net/screen.html
Swan
Playwrights are pleased to announce the winners
of their Thriller playwriting competition:
Martin
Drury (Married to the Moby) - a sharp
and witty take on the thriller;
William
Gallagher (Innocence) - a multi-layered
thriller with some unexpected twists.
Swan
Playwrights would like to thank everyone who entered
and hope to see theatre-goers at the Rose Theatre,
Kidderminster from 25-27 September when the winning
plays will be staged.
Former
Script Board Member Aex Jones presents his one-man
play "I'M A MINGER" at the Arts Theatre,
London, from 25th-30th August.
"Welcome
to the world of 14 year old Katie Weller as she
battles her way through the bitches, the flab,
the misery of school discos, the desperate search
for a worthy boyfriend, the impossible task of
tidying a bedroom that is not a bloody Tardis,
the embarrassment of a Dad who can't cook anything
more normal than grilled snapper, a Mum who seems
to have no idea of the importance of shopping,
and the constant urge to throw up after every
meal time in the hopeless quest for the size zero
grail!'
Info
and tickets:
http://www.operating-theatre.co.uk/upcoming.html
OPPORTUNITIES,
TRAINING AND COMPETITIONS...
STAGE...
ZEITGEIST
THEATRE GRAND SLAM
Zeitgeist
Theatre is seeking short, sharp and witty theatre
plays for a popular and unique event in South
London. Scripts must not be more than eight
minutes long, require no more than five actors
and have very basic lighting/sound/set requirements.
One group of actors perform each play, then the
audience votes for their favourite. The
emphasis is on originality, variety and entertainment.
Apart from a lot of fun, this is an excellent
way to try out ideas on an audience before developing
further.
Please
send script or scripts with a short writer biog
to: info@zeitgeisttheatre.com
Please
note: ALL writers must be based in or around London
and be able to attend late-August.
Deadline:
21 July 2008
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL AND ICEANDFIRE INTRODUCE THE "PROTECT
THE HUMAN" PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
iceandfire
create compelling theatre exploring stories of
displacement and conflict. Amnesty International
is a movement of ordinary people standing up for
humanity and human rights across the world, protecting
individuals wherever justice, fariness, truth,
and freedom are denied. By pairing up to
create the Protect the Human playwriting competition,
our aim is to harness theatre's ability to make
real and relevant the impact of human rights on
our everyday lives. To do this we are looking
for insightful and engaging plays that imaginatlvely
interpret this aim. Winning play receives
a prize of £3000 plus readings in London,
Leeds, Birmingham and Plymouth.
Further
Details: www.iceandfire.co.uk/protectthehuman
Contact:
protectthehuman@iceandfire.co.uk
Stage
One: Window for submissions - July 28th
- August 1st 08
Stage
Two: Finalists announced - October 20th
2008
Stage
Three: Rehearsed Readings of finalists
at Soho Theatre, London - December 1st-3rd 08
Stage
Four: Rehearsed Reading of winning play
in London, Theatre Royal Plymouth, West Yorkshire
Playhouse, Leeds and The Birmingham Repertory
Theatre
PLAYDAY
FOR CLOUD NINE
Cloud
Nine Theatre Company is inviting new scripts for
its latest PlayDay project, which will see two
plays chosen for performance in front of a live
audience in the Autumn. Plays should be
30 minutes in length and capable of performance
with a cast of four. Only previously unperformed
work should be sent.
Send
scripts to or obtain more details from:
Peter
Mortimer, Cloud Nine, 5 Marden Terrace, Cullercoats,
North Shields, NE30 4PD
Tel:
0191 253 1901
Deadline:
31 July 2008
SHORT
PLAYS ABOUT ELVIS WANTED
Everyone
has a story... if yours is for two actors, maximum
ten minutes long and about Elvis, then World Market
in South Cumbria wants to read it! Chosen plays
will be performed in pub venues and arts venues
in the South Cumbria area.
Further
details: pubscripts2008@aol.com
Website:
www.wordmarket.org.uk
Fee:
£4.50/ £5.00 for non-members
Deadline:
31 July 2008
PINT-SIZED
PLAYS WRITING COMPETITION
How
much drama or comedy can you pack into a five
or ten minute play? Pint-sized Plays is your opportunity
to show just how imaginative and original you
can be. It can be funny, it can be sad...
If it can be performed in a pub, with two or three
characters, you could be a winner of Pint-sized
Plays.
The
winning plays will all be performed in pubs in
Pembrokeshire starting this Autumn, during the
Tenby Arts Festival, and then in other pubs around
the county.
Further
details: www.pintsizedplays.org.uk
Deadline:
August 8th.
THE
PETER WOLFF THEATRE TRUST
This
national playwriting award was originally established
by the Arts Council in 1965 as The John Whiting
Award. It gives £6000 to the writer
of a new play that demonstrates an original and
distinctive development in dramatic writing.
To be
eligible to enter for the award, plays must be:
- an original piece of writing (no adaptations
or pieces of verbatim theatre)
- produced by a company in the subsidised sector
- produced for the first time between 1 August
2007 and 31 July 2008
The
award will be announced at a ceremony on the evening
of October 7 2008.
Send
3 printed scripts and a covering letter stating
the production details to:
The
Peter Wolff Trust supports the Whiting Award
Everyman
Theatre, 13 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BH
Further
information: www.everymanplayhouse.com/news
THE
ALFRED FAGON AWARD 2008
Celebrating
ten successful years as a presence in British
Theatre, the Award is dedicated to providing inspiration
and validation for playwrights of Caribbean or
African descent who are resident in the UK.
The
Award of £5000 is open to any playwright
of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the
UK, for the best new stage play in English, which
need not have been produced. Each entrant
may submit only one play. (Television, radio and
film scripts will not be considered).
Applicants
for the 2008 Award shold send two copies of their
play (plus an S.A.E for return of scripts, accompanied
by a CV which includes the writer's Caribbean
or African connection and a brief history of the
play, to:
The
Alfred Fagon Award, The Royal Court Theatre, Sloane
Square, London, SW1W 8AS
Further
details: www.alfredfagonaward.co.uk/site
Deadline:
31 August 2008
RADIO
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...
THE
WRITER'S BRIEF
The
Movie Mogul Fund "Micro Movie Lab" competition
to create a user-generated feature film is about
to enter its second phase entitled "The Writer's
Brief". The winning 25 word movie pitch
from the first round will be announced on the
MMF website on 2 July 2008. Budding screenwriters
then have until 31st July to devise and submit
their 2 page movie outline, incorporating the
title, genre and essence of the winning pitch.
The top ten ideas then go before a Jury Panel
of industry professionals. Further rounds
include an open Director and Producers call, to
bring the vision to life.
Further
details: www.moviemogulfund.com
Deadline:
31 July 2008
FLIP
ANIMATION FESTIVAL - CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Flip
Animation Festival is calling for animators to
submit work to this year's festival. Flip
will run over 3 days between 6-8 November 2008
at Light House and other venues across Wolverhampton
and Birmingham. Flip is nearly five years
old. This year there will be an even more
varied programme including the C-Games Conference,
an animation symposium, as well as screenings,
talks and workshops, and with a particular focus
on writing for animation.
Further
information: www.flipfestival.co.uk
Deadline:
8 August 2008
EVERY1SACRITIC
Producers
Declan Hill and Simon Wright have just won a fringe
award for Best Encouragers of Talent, for their
work developing sitcom scripts. They're
now working with the Arts Theatre in the West
End to promote new work and are actively looking
for new sitcom scripts or character-based comedy
of no more than fifteen minutes long. Scripts
must be self-contained, and the premise, situation,
and characters must be immediately obvious to
an audience. Each week there will be an
evening of either sitcoms, group sketches, or
character comedy. They compete against each
other and the audience will vote for one that
will go through to that month's Final, with the
producers and a guest judge deciding on which
of the runners-up will join them.
To find
out more and apply, see: http://every1sacritic.com/Home.html
Deadline: 15 August 2008
4TALENT
AWARDS 2008
We're
scouring the country for the UK's most exciting
young creative talent for the 4Talent Awards.
From filmmakers to comedy writers, animators to
actors, journalists to radio presenters - we want
to hear from YOU.
Writer
categories include: Dramatic Writing and Comedy
Writing.
Full
details: Click
here
Closing
Date: 29th August 2008
SUMMER
CHALLENGE
RISE
films, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates and Sight
& Sound are making an open call for film scripts
in any genre from unagented writers.
RISE
will then choose one script to take into development
with a view to financing and producing the film.
The winner will also have the opportunity to be
taken on by an agent.
Further
details: www.risefilms.com/summer
Deadline:
26 September 2008
POSTGRADUATE
DIPLOMA IN WRITING FOR PERFORMANCE
The
Postgraduate Diploma in Writing for Performance
embraces the concept of collaboration; it reflects
professional working models and facilitates awareness
of how actors, producers, mentors and directors
can bring a writers's single idea to life.
We will introduce you to, and empower you in,
approaches to writing for theatre, radio and film.
At the heart of each script is the writer, the
focus of this intensive course is enabling you
to produce your own work with a developed sense
of what the writing process actually involves.
Contact:
Victoria Muir
Email:
vmuir@ccm.ac.uk
Website:
www.thearden.ac.uk
Tel:
0161 279 7257
EVENTS...
Whistling
Boy Productions present:
NO
GYPSY CHILD OF MINE
19-25
August 2008
Trapeze,
juggling, a shotgun wedding, and a missing dog
in play inspired by true story of Travellers told
to move out for the Olympic Village. Written
by Caroline David, who graduated from the UK's
prestigious National Film and Television School
with an MA in Screenwriting. She is currently
Literary Associate at Northampton's Royal &
Derngate Theatre and is a long-time trapeze practitioner.
Venue:
Augustine's, Edinburgh
Time:
7.35pm
Tickets:
0131 510 0022/ 0131 226 0000
Untamed
Shrew Productions presents:
LIKE
A FOUNTAIN TROUBLED - THE TALE OF A PIECE OF MIND
28-29
July, 8pm (Old Joint Stock Theatre)
Up-and-coming
Birmingham writer Victoria Grainger's first solo
play opens at Birmingham's Old Joint Stock Theatre
in Temple Row at the end of July. "Like
a Fountain Troubled" is Dot's counselling
agency, open for business to help troubled women.
Until now, Dot has been led to believe that women
moved, are as in the words of Shakespeare "like
a fountain troubled, muddy, ill-seeming, thick,
and therefore bereft of beauty", remaining
passive and subservient herself, and scared to
tell the truth, even her own. Until she
meets Alice - a woman moved who has come to Dot
for help, and inadvertently to help.
Further
information: www.untamedshrewproductions.co.uk
Tickets:
0121 200 0946
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.
ARCHIVE
To view
previous editions of Script News, please click
on the links below
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January
2008
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2008
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2008
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2008
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2008
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