Welcome back to our new season following a summer break in which you’ll no doubt have been writing your entry for our next competition. All these meetings will take place in the Cooper’s Loft at the Bristol Old Vic. Ask at the bar on the first floor for directions. Everyone attending pays £1.

Tuesday, 11 September at 7.30pm: Open Workshop

Tuesday, 18 September at 7.30pm: Open Workshop

Tuesday, 25 September at 7.30pm: The Camp at the Tobacco Factory
A visit to the Tobacco Factory in Bedminster to see Show of Strength’s production of Mark Breckon’s play, The Camp, which was runner-up in our 1999 competition. Mark’s screenplay, An Occasional Dream, won the 2000 competition.

Tuesday, 2 October at 7.30pm: Open Workshop

Tuesday, 9 October at 7.30pm: A screenplay by Eileen Elsey
Unfortunately, Eileen nipped off on holiday just before work began on this newsletter, so we’re unable to give you any details about her new screenplay, or even its title. However, we’re confident it’ll be brilliant and will give you more information about it at meetings before this date.

Tuesday, 16 October at 7.30pm: Don’t Get Your Vicars in a Twist by Ann Gawthorpe
Come along to hear and discuss Ann’s new farce about a murder mystery weekend in a country vicarage while the vicar’s away on other business.

 

Decamping to The Camp
On Tuesday, 25 September, we’re decamping for the evening from the Cooper’s Loft to the Tobacco Factory in Bedminster to see Show of Strength’s production of Mark Breckon’s play The Camp. We’ve reserved 20 seats at this performance at a cost of £8-50 (£6 concessions) each — and the good news is that this will also entitle you to a FREE ticket to Show of Strength’s other production this autumn: Lags by Ron Hutchinson on Tuesday, 23 October.

 

Autumn short course line-up at Bristol University
Leaders of short courses on drama and film which are being given this autumn by Bristol University’s Department of Continuing Education include our former Honorary President, Lucy Catherine, Anna Farthing who’s a member of the group, Andy Burden of the Rondo Theatre in Bath, Alan Coveney, formerly of Show of Strength and Andrew Hilton from Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory.

 

Write now for our 2001 competition
Although we haven’t yet secured any funding, our finances are in good enough shape for us to run another competition this year, with a closing date of 30 November. Your one-act or full-length script can be for tv, screen, stage or radio and we’re planning to give the winner a one-week run at somewhere like the Alma Tavern or the Tobacco Factory, plus rehearsed readings in the New Vic for the runners-up. So if you haven’t already started on something, get started NOW. Details of who to hand your script to will be given later.

 

Crisp Theatre seeks plays by women writers
Local theatre company, Crisp Theatre, is looking for plays by female writers, preferably with a small cast, for full production sometime in the next few months. Crisp Theatre’s earlier production of Effie’s Burning enjoyed a successful run at the New Vic and also went on tour.

 

Fourth Cold Feet series scheduled
The fourth series of Cold Feet, written by our Honorary President Mike Bullen is currently expected to start sometime around the end of October. We’ll give you the exact date as soon as we have it.