Stage set for new writers as Write-on Festival returns to The Courtyard (From Hereford Times)

Stage set for new writers as Write-on Festival returns to The Courtyard

6:10am Friday 6th July 2012 in Theatre & Comedy

LAST year saw the first Writeon Festival take place at The Courtyard in Hereford – a showcase for new writing for the stage, offering the writers the opportunity to see their work performed and audiences the chance to hear some exciting new voices.

The second Write-on Festival, which runs at The Courtyard from July 23 to 28, builds on the success of last year’s event and features a number of firsts, including the involvement of two of the most prominent names in Herefordshire drama – 4Play Theatre Company and Feral Productions.

Both companies initiated their participation, keen to be part of a festival that celebrates the writing talent that exists locally, with most of the featured writers being students of the ‘writing for the stage’ classes run at The Courtyard by Feral’s Estelle van Warmelo.

The festival opens with Pig Day by Nicola Jones, who has been working with 4Play on developing the script and the company will be presenting a rehearsed reading of the play.

The week-long festival continues with two double bills, the first on Tuesday when Penny Simcock, who has only recently joined the group, will present The Visitors, a 20- minute monologue in which Bill tells the story of how PM1 and PM2 come to take tea with him and his wife in their modest East London home. The Visitors can be seen with Gate Crash by Susan Ffrench.

The second double bill of the week, on July 25, features Alison Leigh’s Out of a Clear Blue Sky and Pull the Other One, a lighthearted portrayal of life in a hospital ward by Tony Hobbs, who is new to the festival but a long-standing member of the writers’ group.

Ian Kendall’s two-act play, Expecting Rain, runs for two nights on July 26 and 27; a tangled story of relationships set in the emotional melting pot that is Kabul in 2010, as a human rights lawyer, his doctor wife, a failing businessman and an Afghan interpreter are thrown together.

An innovation for this year is a writer’s workshop on July 27, led by Soho Theatre’s senior reader Sarah Dickenson, which promises dynamic practical exercises and lively discussion, an overview from Sarah of the activity and opportunities for writers at Soho Theatre and a discussion on how and where to place your work.

Tickets for this event are limited, so early booking is advised.

The festival closes with The Feral Flea Fest, an evening of mini performances from writers, actors and musicians followed by discussion of the work.

To book for any of the listed events, call the box office on 01432 340555

Click to go to The Courtyard