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About Southwest
Scriptwriters
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What is Southwest
Scriptwriters?
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 Southwest Scriptwriters is Bristol,
UK's leading group for writers of drama for stage, screen, radio
and television. The group meets at the Bristol
Old Vic on Tuesday evenings between September and June to
read aloud and discuss members' scripts with the aim of improving
their chances of professional production. We programme our meetings
in seasons of six, which we announce in our regular newsletter.
These also feature talks by visiting writers and people who work
in drama production for all media.
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What can Southwest
Scriptwriters do for me?
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If you are a
writer, Southwest Scriptwriters offers friendly and supportive
feedback to help you develop your drama scripts so that you have
more chance of gaining professional productions. The group works
on the principle that 'scripts are not written, they are rewritten'
and we aim to inspire and encourage you through the rewriting
process. Having your script read at Southwest Scriptwriters also
helps you get an idea of how it will come across in performance,
something that is difficult to judge when working alone.
If you are an
actor, Southwest Scriptwriters is a chance to sharpen your performing
skills by sight-reading scripts. It's also the place to find unusual
audition pieces and be in at the start of possible productions.
For both writers and actors, Southwest
Scriptwriters is an opportunity to socialise with others committed
to the creation of new drama. Every meeting adjourns to a local
bar giving members the chance to talk over projects in more informal
surroundings.
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What writing
experience do I need to join?
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| You don't need any writing
experience or production credits to join Southwest Scriptwriters.
Meetings attract writers at every level of experience and all can
benefit from taking part. Members include professional dramatists,
scriptwriting teachers and postgraduates in creative writing as
well as beginning drama writers, all contributing to our lively
and informed workshop sessions. All you need to join the group is
enthusiasm for new drama writing. |
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How do I join?
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| The easiest way to join
Southwest Scriptwriters is to come to one of our meetings and ask
to speak to the group's secretary, John Colborn. There's a list
of the dates of upcoming meetings on our events
page. If you'd like full details of our programme before coming
to a meeting, you can receive one free email edition of our newsletter
by clicking 'Join'
and filling in the form. |
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How much does
it cost to join?
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| Members pay an annual
subscription of £6, for which they receive our bimonthly newsletter.
Everyone attending meetings pays £1. |
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I don't live
anywhere near Bristol and can't make it to your meetings; can
I still join?
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| You can join the group
without coming to meetings, but the benefits of doing so are very
limited. We can't offer advice or feedback on scripts outside meetings
and many of the other advantages of membership come through active
involvement. Our newsletter reflects our strong regional bias and,
while this is of some interest to those living beyond easy travelling
distance of Bristol, we produce it specifically for those who can
attend meetings.
The following websites provide lists
of similar regional organisations in the UK:
If, after investigating the above
lists, you feel that you would still like to join Southwest Scriptwriters,
please email
us.
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How do I get
my script read at a Southwest Scriptwriters' meeting?
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| If you're new to Southwest
Scriptwriters, please come along to a few meetings to get used to
the workshop process before asking for a script to be read.
We programme complete script readings
ahead of our six-weekly seasons and announce them in our newsletter,
so you need to tell us well in advance if you have a script to
be read. Please email
with your script's title, its medium, a short synopsis and its
approximate reading time. It's helpful if you choose readers from
among members at meetings ahead of your reading to save time on
the night. You should bring enough copies of your script for everyone
reading to have a copy.
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What's the
history of Southwest Scriptwriters?
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| Former members of the
Bristol Playwrights' Company, an organisation with a history dating
back to the early 1980s, founded Southwest Scriptwriters in 1994.
The group met originally in the Cooper's Loft rehearsal room at
the Bristol
Old Vic and membership grew quickly to more than 100 writers
and actors. Our weekly meetings currently attract an average turnout of
26 members (2004/2005).
In 1996, Catherine Johnson, then
writer-in-residence at Bristol Old Vic, became the group's first
honorary president. Already an established playwright and television
dramatist, Catherine went on to write the script for the internationally
acclaimed Abba musical, Mamma
Mia!, which opened at the Prince Edward Theatre, London,
in April 1999. The same year, Lucy Catherine, Bristol Old Vic's
Pearson Television writer-in-residence, took over as honorary
president. Lucy's plays presented by Bristol Old Vic include A
Tender Prayer and Sea Life. Mike Bullen, writer of
the hit ITV
series Cold Feet, succeeded Lucy as honorary president
in 2001. Mike joined Southwest Scriptwriters in 1999 and spoke
to the group about his writing career and the creation of Cold
Feet in early 2000. He moved to Australia in late 2002 and
Michael Jenner, our current honorary president, took over the
role in autumn 2003. Michael is a prolific television dramatist
with credits including Soldier Soldier, Heartbeat,
Dangerfield, Peak Practice, Holby
City,
Dalziel and Pascoe, and Taggart.
We presented our first season of
script-in-hand performances in the New Vic Studio at the Bristol
Old Vic in April 1998. Since then we have staged five more annual
seasons, presenting members' work to a wider audience in the New
Vic Studio until 2001, at the Tobacco
Factory in 2002 and 2003, and at the Alma Tavern in 2004. Our Festival is now an established
feature of Bristol's theatrical calendar, employing local actors,
directors and technicians including students of the Bristol
Old Vic Theatre School, but its continuation depends on our
ability to fund it. You can find the latest news on our Festival
by clicking 'New
Writing Festival'.
We have been pleased to welcome guest
speakers who work in all media including writers of EastEnders
and The
Archers. Our recent programme included talks by David
Prescott, associate director at The
Drum Theatre, Plymouth, and Simon Reade, Joint Artistic Director
with Bristol Old Vic.
After 11 successful years, we aim
to build on our established reputation, fostering and promoting
new drama writers in the future.
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Summer newsletter |
Our summer newsletter is an annual review of Southwest Scriptwriters’ events, activities and achievements. It offers an update on our work and shows how members benefit from being part of the group.
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I'm looking
for a script to produce; can you help me?
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| Yes. As well as working
to develop scripts, Southwest Scriptwriters aims to connect writers
with drama producers. Please email
us with a brief description of the kind of script you're looking
for. We might be able to suggest something immediately and, if not,
we can publish your request in the next edition of our newsletter
so that our writers can contact you with their ideas. We're interested
in hearing from you whether you're an established drama producer
for film, TV, radio or the professional theatre, or looking for
something new and different for your non-professional drama company. |
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