Because of theatre closures we have just four meetings this season. Even so, we have to pay for a duty manager to open the place up for us on 22 March — so please make sure you pay your £1 entrance fee on every visit to help towards this cost. All meetings take place in the Macready Room at Bristol Old Vic. Ask at the bar for directions.
Tuesday, 1 March at 8pm: Script Development with Andy Graham
With scripts for both stage and screen in mind, Andy will be talking about the importance of action and imagery in the development of both overall plot and individual scenes. This could give your writing just the fillip it needs, so don’t miss out!
Tuesday, 8 March at 7.30pm: Cat’s Whisker by Norman Eshley
Norman describes this as ‘a radio play on stage’. Set in 1949, we see — in the first act — the cast of a radio serialisation of Lorna Doone gathering together at the BBC for a read-through of the final episode. The second act is the broadcast itself. And Norman adds: ‘hopefully it is a comedy…’
Tuesday, 15 March at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Tuesday, 22 March at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Our next season starts on 5 April and hopefully that will be a series of six consecutive meetings.
Competition update
All entries in our 2005 Competition are now being judged by writernet in London and we hope to have the results by mid to late May. The winning scripts will be given script-in-hand performances at the Tobacco Factory from 18 to 23 July.
Derek Lomas Playwriting Competition
The Wellington Theatre’s Fourth Derek Lomas Playwriting Competition has a closing date of 30 April and invites entries for adult full-length dramas. The winning writer will receive £150 and the runner-up £100. The winning play will be staged in Wellington,Telford during 2006. The entry fee is £10.
Convoy at the Redgrave
Congratulations to Geoff Serle whose documentary stage play Convoy about the unsung WWII heroes of the Merchant Navy and Bletchley Park is being performed at the Redgrave Theatre, Clifton from 22 to 26 March. This play was first read and developed in the group, and it’s very much to Geoff’s credit that he subsequently worked hard to obtain the funding for this production from Clifton College and the Bletchley Park Trust. We hope lots of you will come to see it.
Opening Lines at Hall for Cornwall
The Hall for Cornwall is running a very well-funded playwriting competition, Opening Lines, and they’re especially keen for members of Southwest Scriptwriters to take part. Please enter — if this competition is a success, it could lead to many more opportunities in the future.
UWE Screenwriting MA
Two of our members, Claire Griffiths and Bill Maryon completed the course this year — Bill with distinction. So it could lead you to great things…