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SCRIPT is the West Midlands agency for dramatic writers.

   
 

 

 
   
   

SCRIPT NEWS - May 2010

 

Script Multi-Media

Please visit the Script blog and Facebook page for regular updates on news and opportunities for writers and theatre practitioners in the West Midlands. The comments features also allows you to feedback on events and activities, creating a greater sense of community amongst the region's writers.

A recent blog entry sees playwright and Chair of Script, Nicholas Mclnerny, discussing a workshop of his new play 'LAZYeye.' It provides an informative first-hand account of working as a professional writer.

 

Introducing TENacity:

 

TENacity is a targeted development programme offering writers the chance to explore new ways of working in a creative, supportive environment.  

With events ranging from workshops, readings, writer labs and networking, the programme offers a wide variety of opportunities for writers to hone their skills with input and support from dramaturgs and theatre practitioners.

TENacity is supported by The National Lottery through Arts Council England, Shropshire County Council and Warwick District Council.

Please note: Script now accepts online payments from all major credit and debit cards. Follow the links below each event for more details and online booking service.

Alternatively, if you wish to pay by cheque, visit: http://www.scriptonline.net/TENacityBookingForm.htm

 

NETWORKING

Writer's Lab: Pitch and Punt

Saturday 12th June 2010 (Pentabus Theatre)

Saturday 24th July 2010 (Heartbreak Productions, Spencer Yard, Leamington)

 

In partnership with Equity Central England, Script is inviting emerging and established writers to bring scenes, extracts or maybe just concepts from current works-in-progress for professional actors to read, improvise and explore. The aim of the day is to provide an informal platform for writers to share ideas and projects, gain feedback, and network with other regional artists. Participants will be introduced to the work currently being developed and created in the region, and encouraged to explore potential collaborations.

To apply for a place, please email Hayley Boulton on info@scriptonline.net with a short biography and an outline of the idea you would like to bring along (giving an indication of length and number of characters).

Cost: FREE

 

Writing Site-Specific Theatre

Saturday 19th June 2010 (10am-5pm)

New Vic Theatre , Newcastle-under-Lyme

Led by Vanessa Oakes

From telephone boxes to abandoned warehouses, Site-Specific Theatre tests the boundaries of space, setting and audience expectation to explore, excite and entertain. This one-day workshop will look at how stories can emerge from locations and how spaces can affect and alter the meaning of words. It will also explore how a playwright can gain access to ‘alternative' spaces and what practical issues need to be considered in development and performance.

Vanessa Oakes has worked on a number of site-specific shows and her recent plays include ; I Am Active (Red Teapot), The Kindness of Strangers (Warwick Words), Lost in Paradise CV6 (Belgrade Theatre), A Body Moving Through (the estate), Live Like Us (Belgrade Theatre). Current projects include; a monologue for Paines Plough/Belgrade Theatre, dramaturg for The Piano Room (Symphony Hall, Birmingham) and a new play for Theatre in Action (Glasgow).

Cost: £50 (£40 concessions)

For more information and booking visit: http://sitespecifictheatre.eventbrite.com/

 

The Moving Bus – Dealing with Exposition

Saturday 26th June 2010 (10am-5pm)

The Drum, Birmingham

Led by Alan Pollock

A writer once described the results of effective exposition as akin to ‘stepping onto a moving bus'. Are we, as writers and theatre artists, too reliant on the goodwill of audiences? Shakespeare and his contemporaries could not count on the undivided attention of theirs. Their approach to engaging the interest of playgoers is direct and practical: messengers arrive, choruses speak, proclamations are uttered and characters tell each other things they would already know… Do contemporary theatre-makers have anything to learn from past approaches? Or should we look to the future – to monologue, narration and new media (digital, audio and visual) – to hit the ground running? A one-day workshop featuring readings, discussions and some entertaining practical exercises.

Alan Pollock is a playwright and dramaturg who is currently under commission at the Birmingham Rep. He was previously Literary Manager at the Manchester Royal Exchange and has delivered extensive workshops and mentoring schemes for theatre companies. His most recent play, One Night in November, is one of the most successful premieres ever produced at the Belgrade Theatre. It is currently being developed for television

Cost: £50 (£40 concessions)

For more information and booking visit:

http://writingforexposition.eventbrite.com/

 

Writing Theatre-in-Education

Saturday 3rd July 2010 (10am-5pm)

Light House, Wolverhampton

Led by Arzhang Pezhman

Theatre-In-Education (TiE) is a growing area of employment for writers. A large number of companies in the UK specialise in developing and producing theatre for schools, building plays around a particular educational topic or debate. This one-day workshop will introduce participants to the fundamentals of writing for young audiences. Through the exploration of both theory and practice in playwriting, it will help participants develop a thorough understanding of writing for commission and writing to a brief. The aim of the workshop is to both develop writing techniques and the individual's voice but also to consider playwriting as a vocation, specifically in education.  

Arzhang Pezhman 's play Bolt-Hole was produced in 2006 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.  He has also written a play for the Young REP, Tics , which was produced in 2005.  Arzhang has also had his work produced by the Royal Court Theatre - Local (2000) and Come Around (2003).  In 2003 he was commissioned to write a full-length play Mother's Day , which was performed by pupils at Wolverhampton Grammar School .  He was also Writer-in-Residence at the Soho Theatre in 2006.  

Cost: £50 (£40 concessions)

For more information and booking visit:

http://theatreeducation.eventbrite.com/

 

 

Developing Ideas for the Stage

Saturday 17th July 2010 (10am-5pm)

Pentabus Theatre, Ludlow

Led by Peter Roberts

This one-day workshop will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of creating stories for the theatre. Writer will be able to explore how to structure scenes, develop character and plot and how to write effective dialogue. It will also look at the basic practicalities of putting your work on the stage. An essential toolkit to master the art and craft of playwriting.

Peter Roberts is a Royal Shakespeare Company award-winning writer with credits for stage, television, and radio. Stage plays include Education, Education , and Viking Tales for Derby Playhouse, Flying For Arthur , (Sherman Theatre, Cardiff ) and Heart and Stone for New Theatre Works.  His play-with-music, A Maid With A Lamp , based on the life of Florence Nightingale, is scheduled for Derby Theatre in May 2010. His adaptation of Sophocles' Lysistrata is scheduled for production at Derby Theatre in 2011.

Cost: £50 (£40 concessions)

For more information and booking visit:

http://developingideas.eventbrite.com/

 

Writing Community Theatre

Saturday 31st July (10am-5pm)

Friends' Meeting House, Warwick

Led by Stephanie Dale

Part lecture, part practical-based exercises, this one-day workshop will explore what needs to be considered when writing large scale plays.  During the workshop, participants will look at text from past community plays and start to create new pitches for future productions.

Stephanie Dale is a professional playwright, whose plays have been produced by Soho Theatre, LAMDA, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and BBC Radio 4. She is a tutor on the MPhil in Playwriting Studies at the University of Birmingham, and also teaches at BSA, City University. She is currently on attachment at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Cost: £50 (£40 concessions)

For more information and booking visit:

http://communitytheatre.eventbrite.com/

Devising for Writers

Sunday 11th July, 10am-5pm

Saturday 14th August, 10am-5pm

Sunday 15th August, 10am-5pm

The Drum, Birmingham

Led by Alexander Kelly

A three day workshop exploring writing as part of a devising process, that takes place during the making and rehearsing of a performance.  The workshop will focus on rule-based text-generating exercises, starting with simple games and discussions, and developing these approaches into material for performance.  The workshop will culminate with an informal showing of some of the ideas and material developed over the three days.  

Alexander Kelly is Co-Artistic Director of performance company Third Angel with whom he devises, directs, writes, designs and performs. Alex tours with Third Angel's work throughout the UK and internationally; he has taught at Universities across Britain and at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon .  

To apply for a place, please email Hayley Boulton at info@scriptonline.net you're your contact details, a short biography and an outline (not more than 2 sides of A4) of why you would like to attend and how the workshop will help you at this stage in your career.

Cost: FREE

 

Script Reading Service

Price £35*


Promising writers identified through the script reading service will be recommended to theatre production companies such as the Birmingham Rep, Pentabus, and Theatre 503, and may be selected for future development schemes at Script.

For further details on how to submit, please visit our resource page

*Up to 120 pages. For longer scripts, see website for details.

 

Forthcoming Opportunities, Training and Competitions:

STAGE ...

 

Off Cut Festival  

After a hugely successful Off Cut Festival 2009, In Company Theatre is now accepting submissions for the Off Cut Festival 2010. Send your play off now and compete for a production package at the prestigious Old Red Lion Theatre! Perks include a very professional panel of judges, including a literary agent from ‘The Agency,' and national theatre writer in residence, Moira Buffini.

For more information, visit http://www.theoffcutfestival.com/applications.html  

Deadline: 1st June 2010 at 5pm

 

Five Days in May

Do you have a rapid response to the general election?

Were you compelled by the five agonising days between polling day and the formation of the new coalition government? Were you inspired? Unsettled? Appalled? Surprised? Is there something you are bursting to say? Did a story form in your mind as events unfolded?

We are looking for 5-10 minute scripts for film, TV, radio or online in response to the five days from the 7th to the 11th May 2010 that we can publish on our website. We're not looking for scripts to make - we're looking for a rapid response we can post online.

The story can be in any genre but it must be drama or a comedy with a story and with something to say. We want an original response to these five days in May. We want a unique perspective. Compelling characters. Contained stories that pack a punch.

Up to three of the best scripts will be posted on the Writersroom website as the fastest possible response to election fever and fervour.

Email your script with the subject heading "Five Days in May" to: writersroom@bbc.co.uk

Please note: writers under the age of 16 must gain parental consent see clause 4 in the  Terms and Conditions .

Deadline for submissions: 10am, 1 June 2010

Selected scripts posted by 5pm, 4 June 2010

 

Writing Plays for Young People

Saturday 5th June & Sunday 6th

The Royal Hotel, Deal, Kent

For more details visit www.dealingwithwriting.com

 

Churchill Theatre Short Playwriting Competition                                                

Churchill Theatre Bromley is running its 12th annual short playwriting competition and is now looking for original short plays. Submissions must be no longer than 20mins (playing time), with 6 characters, maximum. The winning submissions will be and performed in rehearsed readings on stage at Churchill Theatre, Bromley. There are two age categories: 16-26 & 26+

Deadline: Monday 7th June 2010

Each entry must be accompanied by a completed application form and all work must be original. Scripts should be typed or word-processed.

For an entry form, please email jennybatt@theambassadors.com or call Jenny on 020 8464 7131.

 

Writing for the Stage  

Mondays 10.30am - 12.30pm  

The Courtyard Theatre, Hereford  

The course is run by Estelle van Warmelo and is especially designed for the up-and-coming playwrights of tomorrow. Participants will develop their own playwriting skills. You won't know you can write a play until you try.

To register for this course please contact 01432346526.

Price: £68 for 10 weeks

Reading Room  

Tuesdays, 10:30am – 12:30pm  

The Courtyard Theatre, Hereford  

A course designed especially for lovers of dramatic text. Participants will explore work by acclaimed dramatists, covering structure, characterisation, theme and style. A fantastic opportunity to learn the nuances of playwriting! There will also be opportunities for the enthusiastic (or courageous) to develop sight-reading skills as well as dabbling in the joys of theatrical production.  

To register for this course please contact 01432 346526 .  

Price: £48 per term

 

Come to Where I'm From

Free workshops with Paines Plough at Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Monday 21st June 2010, The Door

As part of The Rep's collaboration on Come to Where I'm From, the new artistic directors of Paines Plough, George Perrin and James Grieve, will be running two workshops - one for emerging writers and one for anybody interested in or in the process of setting up and running a company

4.30-5.30pm: Producing Plays, Developing Writers

Paines Plough is a home for writers - the  playwright is at the heart of everything we do. When we're not producing plays, we're doing our best to help playwrights get better at writing them. If you write, come along and see what we can do for you.

5.30-7pm: If it Didn't Exist, You'd Have to Invent It

Paines Plough was dreamt up by its founders over a pint. The name comes from the beer they were drinking (Paines) and the pub they were drinking in (Plough). Thirty-five years later: "Paines Plough's nomadic theatre company has racked up so many stars that browsing its press release is a bit like looking into deep space." (METRO). If you're interested in setting up your own company, we can help you force your ideas into existance.

Workshops are free, but places are limited to twenty for each session. Please contact clare.lovell@birmingham-rep.co.uk to reserve a place

 

Everyone Has the Right

A free script submission service - playwrights will receive written feedback about work that makes human rights issues real and relevant to people's lives.  We are keen to encourage scripts that take a fresh and dynamic approach to interrogating these issues, creating surprising and entertaining theatre. The best new plays will receive further development and readings with the aim of taking the most exciting work in to full production.

For more information about submitting a play, please visit the website or contact us on 020 7377 5299 or email everyonehastheright@iceandfire.co.uk

 

SCREEN...

 

Birmingham Film Producer - call for writers

Media Art is an independent film and TV production  company based in Birmingham.  We are currently planning for new film productions and are looking for stories which could be adapted for low budget films, feature and TV drama. We would like to hear from professional writers with fresh ideas and stories, particularly stories with social themes such as diversity and immigration. This does not exclude other genres if they could meet the criteria for a low budget production. We would like to invite writers to submit their story, script or idea to: script@mediaart.co.uk

 

RADIO... 

The BBC Talent Pool

This week, BBC headhunters have released an article urging aspiring writers to submit their scripts to the Writers Room website. They are on the lookout for new talent to join their radio drama department and have issued an informative step-by-step guide to script submission.

For more information visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/guidelines_radiodrama.shtml

2 - Part Free Workshop

BBC Radio Drama, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Punch are collaborating on a 2-part FREE workshop to explore the methods, challenges and opportunities of creating new writer-performer work for theatre and radio. Specifically aimed at spoken word artists, performance poetsand lyricists, the first workshop will cover writing skills and help generate ideas towards experimenting with performace and recording in the second workshop. The apply, send a short letter stating your interest in the workshop and a sample of your work (this can be a website link) to clare.lovell{at}birmingham-rep.co.uk

 

EVENTS...

Festivals, readings, productions:

 

BAFTA Shorts 2010

Tuesday 25th May, 6.30pm

Warwick Arts Centre

Screenings of the 2010 Orange British Academy Film Awards nominated short films, followed by a Q&A.

Cost: £6.50

Booking: Visit the website

 

Free Networking

How to get into the industry  

7. 00pm start

Thursday 27th May 2010  

How can a screenwriter find work and success in the UK film industry?

Book a place now on Euroscript's FREE open evening and find out.

Guest speakers include Philip Shelley (Independent Producer), Rob Kraitt (AP Watt Literary Agency), and Ceri Meyrick, (Development Producer, BBC Drama)  

The last five years have meant all sorts of changes in the British film and television industry, and these changes have had a big impact on the opportunities for writers trying to break into it. In short, things have got tougher.

So writers need all the help they can get. In an attempt to offer that help, Euroscript is delighted to host another of its famous free events, and to welcome three speakers whose jobs involve trying to give writers a crucial break  

For more information and booking, visit http://euroscript.eventbrite.com/

 

The Birmingham's Book Festival's Spring Think: A Festival in a Day, Saturday 29th May 2010, 10:30 am to 5:30pm  

Birmingham Conservatoire, Paradise Place , Birmingham  

Booking is now open for this day long literature festival, featuring National Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, who is returning for another much-anticipated reading. Novelist Helen Dunmore will be discussing her new novel, Betrayal, and she will be joined by Amanda Smyth, Aifric Campbell and Samantha Harvey who will all be discussing their personal writing experiences.

For more information on guest appearances and ticket booking visit

http://www.birminghambookfestival.org/ or call 0121 303 2323

Day Tickets: £29, £25, £19 (Concessions £26, £22, £16)

A Limited Number of Carol Ann Duffy Tickets...

Brought to you by Writing West Midlands/ Birmingham Book Festival

As hoped, WWM are now  able to release a limited number of individual tickets to see Carol Ann Duffy , who will be appearing at 4.15pm . If you are a poetry lover, you will relish being in the presence of one of the most significant British poets of our lifetime. If you are new to poetry, there is no better way to get acquainted than with a reading from our nation's current Poet Laureate. This event is particularly suitable for secondary school pupils, as Carol Ann's poetry is a staple of GCSE syllabae.

These tickets are available for a special price of £8 (Seating will be in the middle or rear tiers of the auditorium). You can take advantage of this offer by calling the box office on 0121 303 2323.

There is also a schools' party price of £5 – bookable direct through us by replying to this email or calling  0121 246 2770.

There will be a book signing after the reading, as well as the chance to visit our brilliant Festival Book Stall, which will feature books from all the writers appearing on the day – something for everyone and some great discounts and deals to be had.

 

Moving On Up - The Future of Film in the West Midlands

Wednesday 2nd June 2010 - 6.30pm - 8.30 pm

The MAC, Queen's Ride, Birmingham

Brought to you by the Producer's Forum, this will be a night of provocative discussion and networking opportunities.

Event is free and you can RSVP by visiting http://www.eventbrite.com/event/690168312

 

It Came From PILOT...

Thursday 3 June, 7.45pm

A unique double bill of exciting new work

It Came From PILOT gives you the chance to see more of two original pieces, first premiered at PILOT, now they have reached the next stage in their development. PILOT nights are a motley assortment of new, untested shorts created by celebrated and emerging theatre makers from across the country. A regular sell-out, they provide a platform for artists to trial work in front of a lively, supportive crowd and gain crucial feedback.

Further information: Visit the website

 

The Kindness of Strangers by Vanessa Oakes

Where:  Stratford Fringe Festival - Cox's Yard

When: 8pm Thursday 10th June 2010

When David's wife dies unexpectedly he is left clinging to the little routines that help him to make sense of his loss.  A chance encounter with a stranger leads to a new friendship.  But how far can David trust his new friend, and what will he do to avoid facing his own loneliness?

This funny & touching  new play by Vanessa Oakes deals with the vulnerability of ageing and grief, and explores the distance between intimacy and friendship.

“Excellent piece of new writing.” Catherine Edwards, (SCRIPT).

“A funny and moving play featuring a superbly judged performance by Robert Lister.” Peter Leslie Wild, (BBC Radio Drama).

“On the edge of my seat throughout the entire play (...) It was a tour de force performance from Robert Lister and a superb script from Vanessa Oakes.” Theatre student, Stratford upon Avon College.

http://www.stratfordfringe.co.uk

Box Office 01789 404600

For more details visit:

http://coxsyard.biz/entertainment/whatson/popup.php?event_id=2149

 

Alternative Fiction Festival, 12th June 2010

QUAD, Derby

Writing East Midlands presents Derby 's hugely popular festival of alternative fiction this summer at QUAD. The day's festivities will includepanels, workshops, readings, comedy improvisation, and a late night horror film showing. The full programme will be announced shortly but expect to see BBC Books and Alt. Fiction favourites like Mike Carey & Ramsey Campbell . There will also be some new faces to Alt. Fiction, notably Stephen Jones & Rob Shearman.  

Tickets cost £25.00. To purchase, contact QUAD on 01332290606

 

The Lyric Exchange

Saturday 12th June, 7.30pm start

A concert experience like no other, The Lyric Exchange will champion and showcase the best of new, undiscovered writing talent in the world of musical theatre.

Tickets cost £8

for more information visit www.bigworld-theatre.co.uk

or call 07790725790

 

Paines Plough Presents...

Come to Where I'm From

21st June 2010

Paines Plough is excited to announce their programme of work for 2010, delivering on their promise to be a truly national theatre of new plays, touring the best plays to more places, with playwrights always at the heart of everything they do.

The programme for 2010 opens with COME TO WHERE I'M FROM, a project which sees 61 playwrights from across the UK returning to their home towns to write plays about the places that shaped them. At 14 theatres from Bristol to Belfast , Cardiff to Coventry , Nottingham to Newcastle , playwrights including David Edgar, Alia Bano, Leo Butler and Penelope Skinner ask if home is really where the heart is.

For more information visit http://www.painesplough.com/ 

 

Funding and Bursaries

 

Skillset are currently offering bursaries that pay up to 80% of course fees for selected vocational film and TV industry training.

To find out if you are eligible for this funding, visit http://www.skillset.org/funding/individuals/bursaries

You can apply by visiting http://www.skillset.org/funding/individuals/bursaries/article67081.asp

 

IdeasTap is a creative network and funding body for emerging arts talent. We are a not-for-profit initiative, bringing creative people together and offering cash funding, opportunities and a platform to showcase new work

To sign up, visit: http://www.ideastap.com/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=/briefdetail.aspx?briefid=120

 

Additionally, the following institutions offer bursaries for talented writers wishing to undertake training:

 

The London Development Agency

Arts Council

UK Film Council

& local authorities

 

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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