The Plain Dealer

‘ … a great fun evening, and a welcome chance to enjoy a less well-known comedy from a fascinating period.’

The Plain Dealer

Droll and Folly Theatre

At Brighton Open Air Theatre until June 11th 2017

Captain Manley has just about had it with society and all its fakery. His mistress has married his mate, his serving boy’s got something to hide and all his acquaintance seem mixed up in legal and lustful shenanigans.

Comedy has long DNA strands, and William Wycherley’s 1676 play has its roots in Molière’s Le Misanthrope, with touches of Twelfth Night, and in turn influences so many eighteenth century works, too. The Restoration archetypes are all there – the fop and the dandy, the rich widow with her eye on the younger chancer, the scheming lady and her confidante – and lightly updated in black and white modern dress, with laptops and mobiles, modern references and some salty language, the bed-hopping tale and legal setting still resonate today.

Actors ad lib and comment around the dialogue, chat to and jump into the audience, tussle and fight in this fresh, funny and entertaining new production from Nicholas Quirke.

Highlights include Colin Elmer’s snide Kenny Everett-channelling dandy, Simon Helyer’s bluff northern sailor and the struggle between Tom Dussek’s rape-intending snake Vernish and Amy Sutton’s Fidelia, the lovelorn maiden in disguise.

Huge respect to Joanna Rosenfeld who’s stepped in at the very last moment to replace a lost actress, and plays a very creditable script-in-hand save in the role of Olivia.

It’s just under three hours including interval, and the running time could be tightened up by picking up the pace around entrances and dialogue cues. BOAT’s long thin performance space means scenes played upstage can be a long way from the audience at the front of the stage, so occasionally dialogue is a little lost, but the moments when actors approach the audience to confide are very immediate and engaging.

It’s a great fun evening, and a welcome chance to enjoy a less well-known comedy from a fascinating period.

A BOAT note: Brighton’s open air theatre has become a star of the summer season here in the two years since it opened. Check the weather and bring your own comforts, as you sit directly on the terraces. I had a mat, cushion and cover and used them all. There’s a little bar and you can bring a picnic and refreshments, too.

Philippa Hammond

SPC Reviews: The Missing Special

‘ … fresh new writing … directed and performed with speedy energy and pace … ‘

The Missing Special

By Richard Hearn
Winner of the Rialto 2016 new writing competition

The Rialto Theatre
Brighton Fringe 2017

Rufus is having an anniversary dinner with his partner – and as these things do, memories are stirred up and replayed. What happened during that missing year? When he’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit, loyalties are tested.

Neil James’ Rufus is a maths-obsessed nice guy, plunged into a world he can’t understand or explain, his growing panic gripping attention as his world unravels.

It’s cleverly constructed and neatly presented around the Rialto’s small stage and auditorium. As Rufus stops time and replays what happened, a waitress and an ‘audience member’ are dragged into the mix. There’s
great support and versatility from the rest of the cast, particularly Jonathan Hewlett as sullen audience member, gently loving Dad, snide cop and weary lawyer. Kitty Newbury’s sparky waitress and Sophie Dearlove’s patronising workshop facilitator are sharply observed.

Fresh new writing, sometimes reminiscent of a US sitcom – Big Bang Theory and Mom spring to mind – and while some of the comedy in the writing is still to be discovered and drawn out, the production’s directed and performed with speedy energy and pace.

Pretty Villain Productions

Jonathan Hewlett
Kitty Newbury
Neil James
Sophie Dearlove

Directed by Roger Kay

Philippa Hammond

2017 April AGM and meeting report

April AGM minutes plus meeting news and performance review

Sussex Playwrights 82nd AGM April 2017

Sussex Playwrights 2017 AGM Minutes and April meeting report

Chair and Secretary’s joint report
Philippa Hammond and Thomas Everchild

An interesting year, beginning with a proposal at the 2016 AGM to wind the club up – which happily did not happen.

We relaunched in June 2016 with a mixture of our traditional activities and new events. We welcomed 7 new members and featured performances and rehearsed readings of new work and work in progress. Our Christmas party featured a fiendish quiz by Thomas.

The Constance Cox prize playwriting competition attracted 48 entries. The reading team has produced a longlist, are currently working on the shortlist and will then announce the winners. A few did not meet the brief or were not up to standard, others were judged as good writing, with 12 plays going through to the longlist.

New events included a talk by Thomas on the Self Publishing Writer – insights on how to publish your own work, which several members have done. Philippa also held a First Five Pages workshop, featuring scripts from the previous year’s competition discussed for initial impressions.

Interviews and performances included a presentation from Guy Wah and Sarah Johnson of Hove Grown, the TV screenwriter James Payne, Simon Moorhead [producer TBC Audio] and actor/writer Rose Collis. Doug Devaney and Ross Gurney-Randall presented an excerpt from their Fringe show Ross and Doug Present Scenes From The Life And Death Of Lord Haw Haw, Britain’s Most Patriotic Traitor after the AGM.

Thomas has designed and launched the new website this year:

www.sussexplaywrights.co.uk

He explained that it is based on the WordPress blog/journal system, and is quick and easy to update on mobile phone. All entries have their own page so can be linked on Twitter and Facebook. An increasing number of people are coming to us from the Facebook page [286] and Twitter [899]. We’re catching up with the NVT. Over the next few months the site will have a history of the group from 1938 onwards, plus we’ll be experimenting with podcasts.

We’ve extended our reach, and have networked with groups abroad through Twitter and Facebook.

We’re also looking at print on demand services which will allow you to buy tshirts and mugs with the SPC logo.

For next year’s Constance Cox competition, we’re considering a short play competition with performances in next year’s festival as part of the prize. Entry is still free to members, and we will look at making the entry charge for non members the current membership fee, to attract new members.

We’ve been busy networking. After Guy and Sarah’s presentation, we found that some 11 shows in March 2017’s Hove Grown festival had direct contacts with Sussex Playwrights, and we’re looking to keep our good relationship with them into 2018 and beyond. Congratulations everyone who took part in Hove Grown.

We’ve made connections with Simon Moorhead and TBC Audio – several writer and actor members of SPC collaborated with Simon on projects over the last year.

Thomas and Philippa own Brighton Actors Networking Facebook Group and Page [some 1700 members]. We’re advertising for readers through the group, to attract a wider spread of readers. We’ll be reading the winning CC competition scripts and others too, with the winners recorded with actors in a recording studio and available online.

Simon Jenner asked if the £12 membership is correct for new members – yes. We have had special offers over the last few years, and current members are not being charged at the moment.

He also noted the old website is still online and asked if we are looking to upload old archives. Philippa and Thomas advised that this is ongoing – it takes a long time but they are preserved and will be transferred when possible to the new site.

If you have any ideas for events you’d like to see, or any pieces to showcase or workshop – please let us know.

Thank you to all those who came and took part in meetings and events, and to the committee for their staunch support last year and previously.

Chair and secretary’s report was proposed and seconded [difficult to tell from recording] and unanimously accepted.

Treasurer’s Report
Jerry Attwood

Jerry presented a poster with the figures.

Competition
In: £273 competition entry fees from 39 entries. Out: £275 our prizes. Virtually broke even, probably for the first time. Well done to Philippa and Thomas for the popular competition format.

£40 donation to Springboard
£50 thankyou gift to Paul Moriarty
£448 stock write off – old leaflets, no longer viable.

£364 in, £1359 out – includes pre AGM 2016 meal £127 and Christmas party £130. = £995 deficit.

Capital – £5022 in Building Society and £131 in Bank [agreed by Philippa]

Suggested we continued our policy of no ongoing membership fees till funds are round £2500 level then think about reintroducing fees – possibly 5-6 years.

Thank you letter from Paul Moriarty was read out. Note – Paul has worked on Simon’s projects, so we are still connected.

Cherie Cherchie asked why let the funds go down – why not charge a small ongoing membership fee of £2-3. Jerry explained it was to encourage existing members to stay as when it went up from £8 to £12, some were up in arms. Confirmed that new members are charged £12 to come in, but no continuing membership fee.

Accounts adopted – Simon Jenner proposed, and Deborah Knowles seconded, all in favour.

Motions – none received. No-one wanted to raise anything for discussion.

Re-elections

Philippa thanked the 2016-17 committee

Chair – Philippa re-elected [Proposed Thomas Everchild, seconded Cherie Cherchie, unanimous]

Secretary – Thomas re-elected

Vice Chair – Rob Cohen elected [Proposed Simon Jenner, seconded Murray Hecht – unanimous]

Treasurer – Jerry Attwood re-elected [unanimous]

Committee Members – Simon Moorhead, Judy Upton, Jenny Rowe, John Dutton, Cherie Cherchie, Simon Jenner elected [Thomas Everchild proposed, Philippa Hammond seconded – unanimous]. Further members may be co-opted.

Philippa asked that all Committee members familiar with social media please help promote events online.

AOB – none.

AGM Concluded.

Members’ News

Judy Upton – half hour play Tough Times, Difficult Decisions is performed at the Jermyn St Theatre London next week Tuesday and Wednesday

Christine Foster – Mixed Doubles II is performed at the Coach House Rottingdean 20-22 April

Simon Moorhead – Producing a new play Protect and Survive at the Brighton Fringe – a warning note on the nuclear Pandora’s Box and the current world situation, inspired by BBC 1980s play Threads. Directed by Thomas Everchild, featuring Philippa Hammond and a cast of actors from the area. Tickets are going fast. 9-15 May 5.30pm at Sweet St Andrews’ Waterloo Street

Jenny Rowe – Maydays present three improvised plays inspired by Tim Burton at the Warren 18-20 May

See details of all news in Brighton Fringe brochure www.brightonfringe.org

We’re busy joining the dots between Sussex Playwrights, Brighton Actors Networking, Shooting People, Brighton Film Makers Coalition and TBC Audio, to make Brighton a force to be reckoned with.

Part two of the April meeting featured an entertaining performance from Doug Devaney and Ross Gurney-Randall – an excerpt from their Fringe show, followed by Q and A and audience discussion.

Review by Simon Jenner:

Ross and Doug Present Scenes From The Life And Death Of Lord Haw Haw, Britain’s Most Patriotic Traitor

Ross Gurney-Randall and Doug Devaney gave an extraordinarily spirited series of excerpts from their play about William Joyce. Scenes might be too delicate and (dis)respectful of the deconstruction we were offered. This may be a chronological survey of a chronically unpleasant man but we’re not going to be dragged through decades forwards when backwards is more fun.Nevertheless in these snapshots of a man’s early life a glimmering of motive is more than nudged.

Gurney-Randall makes it clear he doesn’t want to be William Joyce so we’re not left guessing about who’s been foisted onto the role. That name rings – yes it’s the traitor Lord Haw-Haw. Think National Theatre of Brent meets Gurney-Randall’s take on traitors: remember his way with them in A Private Audience With Henry VIII in 2015’s Fringe?

Joyce was born of Irish parents in 1906, but in the USA; Joyce however is never registered as an American, which would have been useful later on. When they relocate to Ireland the Civil War pushes Joyce in 1921 to take the British side, and one scene has a couple of edgily stage Irishmen arguing whether to kill a fifteen-year old informer or not. Sad choice. The Joyce family now marked decamp fast, and Joyce grows up moving to the far right politically. He’s several times taken and renewed British passports and indeed doesn’t take up a German one till it’s war, in 1940, which by then is a treacherous act. On such stretches of law stretch necks. At this point we broke off.

Gurney-Randall’s avuncular menace is wondrously suited to all kind of shock savagery, and one laments he’ll only be a hangman once here, he’s clearly born for such roles. In this one he’s also the fact-finder, the obsessively accurate would-be historian, countering Devaney’s wayward sprite and continual carpings. Devaney’s thoroughly shifty and argumentative, and their timing in fact is superb. Devaney starts a grievance rolling and Gurney-Randall tosses it back harrumphing.

Devaney’s role is to tell truth but tell it slant, thus disrupt the action because his disruptive imagination challenges Gurney-Randall‘s neatly linear sense of things. This is where the personalities of story-tellers a la Brent disrupts the characters the storytellers interrupt themselves playing. A continual sense of overhearing is cardinal to the show, one that one hopes can never quite manage to conclude. It’ll leave us dangling though for the main event.

Easily one of the most spirited run-throughs I’ve seen, it was more than a free preview and after-event talk. Sussex Playwrights continues its upward path, enlivening itself with events like these.

Simon Jenner

Next meeting

Our Brighton Festival-time event on May 7th features the playwright, screenwriter and novelist William Nicholson in conversation on writing for stage, page and screen. [Shadowlands / Gladiator / Les Miserables].

Website: www.williamnicholson.com

IMDB entry: www.imdb.com/name/nm0629933/

Article: Judy Upton on writing for theatre

Top Ten Tips for Getting Started as a Theatre Writer

Top Ten Tips for Getting Started as a Theatre Writer by Judy Upton

Judy Upton offers her ten best bits of advice for those looking to break into the industry.

Judy is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who has had plays produced by the Royal Court, National Theatre and BBC Radio 4 as well as feature film and TV credits.

1. Write What You Want To Write

If you love political dramas, maybe write one. If you don’t, don’t try to do that just because it is fashionable. There was a phase where everyone felt they had to write at least one very gory scene. Fine if that’s your thing, but if it isn’t you, it’s not likely to be convincing. Topical plays are in demand, but it’s better to set a trend than follow one. If you ‘write what you know’ it will feel authentic, but if you want to ‘write what you don’t know’ there’s nothing wrong with that either, and it can work just as well.

Book jackets try to sell you a novel by telling you what a great story the book contains and that it is told in a great way. People visit the theatre for a great story, well told too.

2. Make Your characters do stuff (rather than just let them talk).

Best keep to six actors or less, even if there needs to be some doubling up.
The exceptions are plays written for youth theatres, community groups schools etc that ask for big casts. For New Writing Theatre, if approaching the paid sector, a small cast play sadly has the best hope of being produced, because of the wages bill.

Always make sure each actor has a part worth playing. Put yourself in an actor’s shoes. Even on the fringe where they may not be paying the actors, would you give up your evening for one or two lines, or to just walk on carrying a cup of tea?

3. Keep Staging and Props Simple

The more elaborate the staging, the more you restrict the opportunities for your play to be produced. By all means think big, but if you need a revolving stage, ice rink or a train moving across the stage, think whether you could create all this with a bit of low cost theatrical magic – like acting. If your actors tell the audience they’re floating in zero gravity, or give that impression by their movements, the audience will accept it.

It is always up to you, the writer, to describe in your script how you imagine a scene will be staged, even if the director ultimately does it differently. You need to convince the literary manager of the company or theatre that your play is stage-able, e.g. ‘The raging sea is suggested by projection and sound effects.’ Now the company doesn’t think you’re hoping they’ll flood their auditorium for your piece, they can concentrate on whether they like the script.

4. Don’t Forget The Drama!

Whether comic, tragic or neither a play needs drama. There has to be a conflict. Never forget you are using actors to tell us a story. It is not just people chatting. Stuff happens. Generally someone wants to achieve something but something or someone is stopping that happening, e.g. ‘John wants to make a sandwich but Sue won’t give him the bread.’ That’s a basic conflict, albeit not a very gripping one as it stands. Perhaps the bread is the last loaf left in the city, and perhaps Sue is starving. Now the conflict is a more urgent one and a drama is starting to build.

5. Size Matters

Although it might feel a little prescriptive, it is sensible to think about the length your play might be, even before you start writing it.

10 minute plays (7 – 8 pages) are massively popular now and lots of people are looking for them, for showcases and scratch nights. You almost certainly won’t get paid, but if your play is on in a big town or city, producers and theatres may be persuaded to attend. Even more importantly you will have made contact with actors and directors when your short play is in a showcase. You’ll also learn a lot about what does and doesn’t work in your script.

A 10-minute play like a short story tends to feature one situation and a cast of no more than 4 characters at the most, or more likely two or three.

Around 30 minutes and 60 minutes – also known as a one-act play – these are a little less popular but there are still a number of opportunities for them.

90 minutes – the full-length play. I wouldn’t go much longer than 90 minutes for a first play. It’ll probably be 70 – 80 pages depending on how you lay it out. (There is not a standard format as there is for screenplays). A plain-looking 12 point font is best.

6. Layout

Plays are laid out on the page in a different way to films, TV and radio Plays. A book of plays from the library will give you the basic idea. It’s something like this.

Act One

JOHN and SUE’S tastefully furnished bungalow. The present.

JOHN: I’m a character.

SUSAN: You certainly are.

(SUSAN stands and heads towards the door.)

EXIT SUSAN.

7. Write A One Page Synopsis

A synopsis describes the action of your play, usually in present tense. Try to make it as exciting as possible, and to convey the emotion of the script. If it reads like a good short story, that’s fine. Include the whole plot and don’t worry about spoiling the ending. Some writers write the synopsis first, then use it as a template for the play. Some don’t plan and plunge right in. You are writing a synopsis as a marketing tool though – to persuade people to read your play.

8. Write A Brief Covering Letter

A letter is still a letter if sent by email. Some theatres ask for scripts by post, some by email or online upload. Best to send it the way they ask. If the online upload is glitchy, email the company and ask if you can send it another way. Technology and writers using it are not infallible. If a company’s website says ‘No Unsolicited Scripts’ it may simply mean that they don’t have anyone available to read new work. You could always still ask if they’ll look at your one page synopsis. They can only say no.

9. Enter Playwriting Competitions and Festivals.

There’ll nearly always be an arts or literary festival of some sort fairly near you. Often they have readings of new plays, and a rehearsed reading is a great way to experience your play and to work out what is, and isn’t working. It’s a good chance to get feedback from others too. Playwriting clubs and organisations may also stage readings. Jump at any chance of workshops or mentoring, especially if they are free. Look out for schemes run by various theatres and companies.

Competitions and opportunities are where your 10-minute scripts and your 30, 60 and 90-minute plays will come in. Most competitions are free to enter. People advertise their playwriting competitions and opportunities in a number of places online.

Try these for starters:

  • Playwriting UK on Twitter and Facebook
  • BBC Writers Room
  • London Playwrights Blog
  • Nawe
  • Creative Scotland

Lists of theatres who accept new plays are in both ‘The Writer’s Handbook’ and ‘The Writers’ And Artists’ Yearbook’ – available at local libraries. Use these as a starting point, as they give a brief summary of who is looking for what, then go to the website of any theatre or company that sounds promising where your script is concerned. Often your regional theatres will have opportunities for writers local to them.

You will have to check submission guidelines for each theatre or company individually. Many companies will ask for an entire script, possibly with a synopsis and cast breakdown. Some of the big theatres still only accept scripts by post, some have submission windows once or twice a year. They may ask you to email a script or want it uploaded at certain times only. If you are going to send a query to a company who doesn’t have an open-door script reading policy, don’t attach anything, just send a brief email to ask if they would read your work.

10. Lastly Remember – The Industry Needs You.

Literary departments love posting photos of piles of scripts they haven’t read yet, and telling you it will take ‘six months or longer’ before you hear back on yours. It sometimes makes it sound like there are so many scripts out there you’d be better to take up knitting of baking instead. Don’t despair. There are also loads of theatres and theatre companies large and small, here and all over the world, and they all need great plays to produce. Sure some of them prefer plays by established or long dead playwrights, but a lot of them are keen to schedule a great new play, large or small. You could be about to write that play, and you won’t know unless you try.

Judy Upton

www.judyupton.co.uk

Take part

How to have your work read and discussed at a meeting

Work in progress or for sharing

We’re looking to members and guests to take part in meetings and showcase their work

If you’d like to have actors read an excerpt from your latest script in progress for discussion [10 minute slot]

If you’d like to read an excerpt from your latest fiction or non-fiction on the night [10 minute slot]

If you’d prefer to have someone read it for you, if you’re happier writing than speaking

Please contact us chair@sussexplaywrights.co.uk

Ideas for guest speakers

If you can suggest a great guest speaker for one of our meetings – please get in touch with us.

Ideas for workshops

Are there any particular workshops you’d like to have as part of a meeting?

Suggestions so far include:Reading aloud to an audience – For authors, being able to deliver an excerpt from your poetry, fiction or non fiction to an audience can raise your profile and increase your sales

Acting script-in-hand for beginners – being able to take a script and bring it to life with a group reading is a great skill for writers, and can help you appreciate what makes dialogue playable

Crowd funding your writing – how writers can create their own fundraising project online to support themselves and their creative work.

Audio drama performance skills – an essential toolkit of skills for anyone interested in performing audio drama

Please contact us

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