We’re carrying straight on from the last season without a break to take us to the Christmas hiatus, and will restart mid- to late-January. Just three of these meetings (see below) will take place in the Cooper’s Loft at the Bristol Old Vic. Ask at the bar on the first floor for directions. Everyone attending pays £1.
Tuesday, 30 October at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Tuesday, 6 November at 7.30pm: Open Workshop
Tuesday, 13 November at *9.00pm*: Stairway to Heaven at the Alma Tavern Theatre
A group visit to see Steve Hennessy’s reworked and shortened play which featured in our first New Writing event in the New Vic. Please note the 9.00pm start time. The play lasts about 55 minutes.
Tuesday, 20 November at 7.30pm: Meet Deepak Verma
Deepak Verma is the writer of next week’s show in the New Vic, Ghost Dancing an adaptation of Emile Zola’s famous novel, Thérèse Raquin, transposed to the Punjab. Deepak will discuss with us the process of adapting a novel into the dialogue form.
Tuesday, 27 November at 7.30pm: Ghost Dancing in the New Vic
A chance to see the play discussed last week with Deepak Verma at the concessionary rate of £7 (instead of the full price £10).
Tuesday, 4 December from 8.00pm: Join us for Christmas drinks in Renato’s!!
Don’t miss our 2001/2002 competition!
Your script, either one-act or full-length and for screen, stage, TV or radio, should be submitted anonymously to Andy Graham (who’s not entering this year) at any meeting between now and 27 November (ie the night we’re seeing Ghost Dancing in the New Vic — so give it to Andy on one of the weeks before if you prefer). Write only the title of the play on the cover of your script (ie not your name), and in a separate sealed envelope write the title plus your name and address. Your script will be read anonymously by two independent readers. The winner will receive a fully staged production and the runners-up rehearsed readings.
Unfortunately the New Vic Studio is fully booked throughout the spring and isn’t available to stage our season of rehearsed readings. We are seeking an alternative local venue for these and will announce this with the competition winners.
Danger Men makes Croydon shortlist
Congratulations to Andy Graham whose play Danger Men — a runner-up in our 2000/2001 competition — was placed on a shortlist of ten out of some 500 entries for the International Playwriting Competition organised by Croydon Warehouse. But the judges must be at least one lettuce leaf short of a sandwich because Andy didn’t quite make it into the top three.
TAPS showcases Valentine’s Day Massacre
Congratulations, too, to Victoria Earp whose short film script, Valentine’s Day Massacre (set in a card shop and workshopped with Southwest Scriptwriters in June) was selected for showcasing at the TAPS London Writers Festival in late September and to BAFTA later in the year. Victoria says the comments made at our workshop obviously paid off!
Ray’s Doctors debut
And congratulations to Ray Brooking whose first script for BBC1’s Doctors was screened a week or so ago. We’ll try and get Ray to give us more notice of when the next one’s on.
Cold Feet returns
The first two episodes of the new series of Cold Feet
Acid Drops at the QEH
cpa@uwe’s production of Acid Drops, a double-bill of caustic comedies by Tim Massey, runs at Bristol’s QEH Theatre in Jacob’s Wells Road on Friday, 26 and Saturday, 27 October.
Play on Words 2002
Play on Words 2002 — billed as Britain’s Premier Playwriting Competition † is currently inviting entries for new one-act stage plays (not previously published or performed), 20 to 55 minutes long, for two or more characters. Winning plays will be performed and the authors will share prize money of £1000. There’s a separate section for writers under 18.
Scottish Community Drama Association
Eileen leads short film discussions
Finally, don’t miss Eileen Elsey’s three evenings of discussion about short film at the Watershed on Wednesdays, 24 and 31 October and 7 November.