Our final season of 2005 features two trips to the Alma Tavern Theatre to see two more Theatre West productions. All other meetings take place in the Macready Room at Bristol Old Vic.
Tuesday, 8 November at 8.30pm: Viral Sutra at the Alma Tavern
The Macready Room’s not available for us tonight, so we’re taking another opportunity to visit the Alma Tavern (Alma Vale Road, Clifton) to see David Carter’s successful entry in Theatre West’s Search for a Script 2005 — the story of an everyday HIV virus struggling for survival, wondering about God, the nature of self, the reason for existence, and the threat posed by readily available condoms.
Tuesday, 15 November at 7.30pm: Old Enough #2 by Andy Graham
Old Enough is the pilot for a four-part TV series about men and fatherhood. Andy first brought it to the group earlier this year. Following valuable feedback, he has re-written it — and if he’s not up all night writing lesson plans, will be along to hear the result.
Tuesday, 22 November at 8.30pm: The Memory of Rain at the Alma Tavern
Sometime attendee at Southwest Scritpwriters’ meetings, Jenny Davis, is another of Theatre West’s Search for a Script finalists. In The Memory of Rain, Greta runs her large department efficiently — and is hugely admired. So — is Mary’s arrival on a busy day just a nuisance — or do her memories have the power to rock Greta’s tightly controlled world?
Tuesday, 29 November at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Tuesday, 6 December at 7.30pm: Import Export by Peter Kesterton
This work in progress is Peter’s follow-up play to his winning Air Guitar which is to be staged at the Bristol Old Vic in January. When hard-up Lisa and Steve take in a foreign student, Budi, it seems that it will be the end of their money troubles. But Steve soon begins to suspect there is more to their lodger than meets the eye. Is he right, or just jealous of Lisa’s growing attachment to Budi?
Tuesday, 13 December at 8.00pm: Christmas Drinks at Renato’s
Join us to toast all the successes we’ve enjoyed in 2005 — as well as all those we’re very confident we’re all going to enjoy in 2006.
Southwest Shorts 2006
Don’t forget that Southwest Shorts 2006, our new Short Film competition for group members is up and running. To enter, all you need to do is write a five-minute film script which will be judged for plot, character, structure and dialogue. The two winning entries will be filmed, entered into various competitions, and be available for viewing worldwide on our website. To keep production costs down, your script should have as few actors, as possible, minimum and low-cost locations, and no expensive special effects.
On television…
Ray Brooking’s first episode of Casualty goes out on 5 November. So cancel your firework party and make sure you don’t miss it!
If you watched Holby City on Tuesday, 1 November and thought it was a particularly sparkling episode, you won’t be surprised to learn it was written by our Honorary President, Michael Jenner.
Wellington Literary Festival success
After being runners-up in both the Southwest Scriptwriters and the Windsor playwriting competitions, and having two plays short-listed in the Scottish Drama Association competition, Ann Gawthorpe and Lesley Bown have won the Derek Lomas competition for full-length plays. Don’t Get Your Vicars in a Twist will be given a full production in next year’s Wellington Literary Festival in Shropshire. It was developed with the help of members’ comments at a SWS meeting.
Ann and Lesley’s first pantomime Christmas Special — with Extra Fried Rice will be performed by the Kingston Players at Kingston Seymour, near Yatton, in February.
Anyone Can Write Five Minutes
Bristol’s Show of Strength, Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre and Taunton’s Brewhouse Theatre have got together to promote Anyone Can Write Five Minutes — a competition to select 60 five-minute (1,000 word) monologues for live performance on the theme of ‘waiting’. Winners will be performed at the Southville Centre in Bristol, the Everyman and the Brewhouse in March/April 2006.
Passionate Pitches for the BBC
The BBC is seeking a one-page pitch from you for an original 60-minute TV drama. Your story should be mainstream and domestic, but any genre. It must be borne out of passion — something you need to tell. You don’t need either an agent or any previous TV credits. Six scripts will be made in spring 2006.