| 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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