Happy New Year and welcome to our first newsletter of the 2020s.
Our second meeting of the decade is tomorrow, 21 January. It’s at Bristol Old Vic, King Street, BS1 4ED, as shown in December’s edition, but in the Rehearsal Room rather than the Coopers’ Loft as advertised.
We’ve also lined up two dates in February and another in March, which are also at Bristol Old Vic, but in the Coopers’ Loft as usual.
Visit our What’s on page for a quick look at all our upcoming dates. Everyone attending meetings pays £2.
Tuesday, 21 January at 8pm in the Rehearsal Room: Believe Me by Caroline Harrington
7.45pm for 8pm start
Please arrive for tonight’s meeting by 7.45pm, sign in at reception opposite the bar between the main entrance and the box office, and gather to go up to the Rehearsal Room together — we plan to begin the meeting promptly at 8pm.
Believe Me is Caroline’s full-length stage play about where we put our faith to make sense of our lives: Danny was the love of Karen’s life, but he betrayed her. 25 years later, when the dreams of youth have given way to middle-aged compromise and disillusion, she bumps into him again…
Tuesday, 11 February at 8pm: Open Workshop
Back to the Coopers’ Loft
We’re meeting in the Coopers’ Loft this evening and for the following meetings. Sign in at reception opposite the bar between the main entrance and the box office, and take the lift to the Loft on the top floor. Please arrive by 8pm so that we can begin the meetings promptly.
Our first February meeting features the final scene of the second act of Bluey by Carole Boyer, concluding our reading from 7 January: The development team behind Bluey, a United Nations peacekeeping robot, attempt to resolve some alarming issues with the prototype’s behaviour on the eve of the production model’s mass-deployment in the field…
We’ll also be reading Mitch Hodge’s short film script Bullseye about Micky, a small-time crook in debt to the mob: One job and he’s free, but first he has to confront his embarrassing past…
We’re rounding off the meeting with a chance to talk over some exciting developments in Southwest Scriptwriters’ calendar…
Tuesday, 18 February at 8pm: Love the Moon by Cat Brown
Just a week on from our previous meeting, we’re reading Cat’s verse play for radio and stage.
Based on the inner experiences of four women living and loving in a former coal-mining town in Somerset, Love the Moon was shortlisted in Bristol Old Vic’s Open Session last year.
Tuesday, 3 March at 8pm: Open Workshop
Get in touch using our Book a workshop slot form to be sure of some time for your script in progress to be read tonight.
Ross in Royal Court Jerwood trio
Southwest Scriptwriters alumnus Ross Willis is one of three emerging playwrights selected for the relaunched Royal Court Theatre Jerwood New Playwrights programme in 2020.
Jerwood New Playwrights offers a commission plus a range of bespoke research and development opportunities for playwrights at an early stage in their careers. Ross was picked for the programme with Hester Chillingworth and Somalia Seaton.
The opportunity is another in a slew of successes for Ross in the wake of Theatre503’s production of his play Wolfie last spring (reported in our December 2018 newsletter). Last Monday, 13 January, Wolfie won Best Play at the Writers’ Guild Awards 2020.
There’s also a chance to see Ross’ work on stage in Bristol this autumn when his play Wonder Boy (pictured) becomes the first script selected in Bristol Old Vic’s Open Session to receive a main stage production at the theatre.
Congratulations to Ross on his continued success!
Learn more about Royal Court Theatre Jerwood New Playwrights
Learn more about Ross’ recent successes