We have just five meetings to kick off the New Year, and all take place in the Macready Room at the Bristol Old Vic. Ask at the bar on the first floor for directions. Everyone attending pays £1.

Tuesday, 18 January at 7.30pm: Nice Blokes by Brian Jennings
A reading of the first part of Brian Jennings’ two-hour TV drama ’ the story of three brothers, two of whom are villains. Their small-time capers are tolerated by the local police until the arrival of a new member to the force. The brothers are already being squeezed by another firm. A turf-war is beginning to run. Will the brothers’ lives be forced to change by irresistible odds? It»s a change that may be quite appealing already… The script is set in present day London.

Tuesday, 25 January at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Tonight is also the closing date for entries to our competition — and a possible performance of your script at the Tobacco Factory — see below.

Tuesday, 1 February at 7.30pm: Open Workshop

Tuesday, 8 February at 7.30pm: Nice Blokes (cont)
A reading of the conclusion of Brian Jennings’ TV drama which began on January 18th…

Tuesday, 15 February at 7.30pm: Open Workshop

 

Tobacco Factory for New Writing Festival 2005
We’re delighted to announce we’ve been able to book the Tobacco Factory for our Festival of New Writing for the week of 18 to 23 July this year. To see your script performed there, though, you’ll first have to enter our competition — and the closing date is Tuesday, 25 January. So there’s not much time left to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity — this is the last year we’re eligible for an Arts Council grant, so the competition is unlikely to be able to continue in its current form next year. Please remember that if you are a winner, you’ll be expected to help as much as possible with the production of your script – and to do your best to help rustle up an audience. The experience of getting involved is all part of the prize! We’re also pleased to announce that — as last year — the competition will be judged by writernet in London.

 

Breakaway Blues on tour
And just to show you what effect being a competition winner can have, Eileen O’Hare’s Breakaway Blues, which was a runner-up in our 2003 New Writing Competition, is now being given a full production by the Laughing Orange Theatre Company — and will go on tour in the spring. The production came about as a direct result of its reading at the Tobacco Factory — one of the partners of Laughing Orange was a member of the cast, and liked the play so much she decided it warranted a full production. The tour dates are:

  • 26-30 April
    Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
  • 3-4 May
    Forest of Dean
  • 5-7 May
    QEH, Bristol
  • 10-15 May
    Stroud District Arts Festival

We’ll let you have flyers with further details nearer the time.

 

Radical success for Mark
Also, as a result of the performance of The Radicals at our 2003 Festival, Mark Breckon has been invited to take part in a workshop for regional writers at the National Theatre…

 

Big in shorts
Making It Big in ‘Shorts’ is a two-day course in Bristol on 5-6 March to teach you how to produce and market short films. Led by Simon van der Borgh, it costs £200.