This season we have a full season of six meetings. All take place in the Macready Room at Bristol Old Vic. Ask at the bar for directions. Everyone attending pays £1.
Tuesday, 5 April at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Tuesday, 12 April at 7.30pm: Meet Alan Pollock
Alan Pollock has written six episodes of The Bill, and was one of the creators of the BBC2 series Attachments. His stage play The Death of Cool was performed at Hampstead Theatre, and his new play — Retro — was given a reading at the National Theatre Studio. He’s currently writing a play for The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham. Tonight, he’ll answer all your questions — and maybe give us a storytelling exercise.
Tuesday, 19 April at 7.30pm: Hall for Cornwall / Last Laugh
If you’re entering either of these competitions, book a slot to try it out on an audience tonight.
Tuesday, 26 April at 7.30pm: The Layman’s Handbook by Mark Brown
The worldwide reach of Southwest Scriptwriters means we’re reading Mark’s new screenplay tonight while he’s still in Melbourne. It’s about a rebellious young man who inherits his father’s business and struggles to find his own identity. The answer is found in The Layman’s Handbook…
Tuesday, 3 May at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Tuesday, 10 May at 7.30pm: Phantoms by Daniel Cull
A reading of Dan’s latest (but not weirdest) screenplay. When an ex-girlfriend’s reappearance forces Peter Bradley to re-evaluate his life he becomes consumed with guilt. Suddenly images of his most intimate life experiences start popping up all over the city for all to see. Peter becomes an instant celebrity — in all the wrong ways. But as he desperately seeks to stop the images, he starts to solve the mystery that is his life…
Casualty debut
Congratulations to Ray Brooking who’s been commissioned to write his first episode of Casualty — to go out on 5 November.
More from the surgery
Melanie Lawman’s next episode of Doctors goes out on Monday, 9 May at 14.05 on BBC1. We hope to see Melanie in the group sometime!
Theatre West launches Search for a Script 2005
Theatre West is about to launch its Search for a Script for 2005. Final details are not yet available pending an application to the Arts Council for funding, but you can keep track of developments on the company’s website. The closing date this year will be the beginning of July and scripts are invited for stage plays of around 50 to 60 minutes in length. Ideally, your script will feature no more than three actors.
UWE screenwriting open day
Last newsletter, we sent out a leaflet on the Screenwriting MA at the School of Art, Media and Design, University of the West of England, Bristol. If you’d like to find out more, members of Southwest Scriptwriters are invited along to the open evening on Tuesday, 29 April, from 5 till 8pm at Bower Ashton Campus, Kennel Lodge Road, BS3 2JT. Put the date in your diary!
Narrative comedy for BBC Wales
BBC Wales is looking for narrative comedy scripts for both radio and television and is initially planning to pilot six radio sitcoms early next year with two of the best being commissioned for a series on BBC Radio Wales. They’re NOT looking for anything about rugby, sheep or miners, but do want scripts that are genuinely funny and are set in Wales or have Welsh characters.
Script Factory seeks crime screenplays
Script Factory Project Tiptree seeks screenplays based on a different genre each quarter. Currently the genre is crime. Selected scripts will be developed and optioned by Mute Marmalade.