In this section you can find out more about writernet's project-based work. These are undertaken, usually in partnership, to meet gaps in existing provision and are reviewed by writernet's Advisory Council of working playwrights. What follows is a quick thumbnail; for more details click on the relevant project above.
Funded by Reading Borough Council and Arts Council, South East, Hydroponic is a new performing arts project aimed at unearthing and developing the very best in new writing and theatre practice from culturally diverse artists. The project has focused both on craft and skills acquisition and the facilitation of career development through contact with industry professionals and networks. The pilot Hydroponic ran from November 2004 and culminated in performance showcases in Reading in July 2005 and at Soho Theatre in London in October 2005. With continued support from the funders a second year of Hydroponic activity saw co-productions with West Yorkshire Playhouse of David Hermanstein's Safe, with Jonzi D of Ivan, by Jonzi D and Jane Sekonya and with Pursued by a Bear and Dipo Agboluaje's For One Night Only.
The third phase of Hydroponic moves ahead in 2008. We will continue our working relationships with West Yorkshire playhouse and Pursued by a Bear, working with Alex Chisholm on Tajinder Singh Hayer's Mela and Helena Bell on Footprints in the Sand, with Rukhsana Ahmed. We are also delighted to be working with Roney Fraser Munroe on The Resident
The Fence is a network for playwrights and cultural operators from across Europe, focusing on mobility and diversity. This is a network also designed to increase opportunities for UK theatre writers abroad by creating an information resource which outlines new writing activity across Europe. In addition to drawing on the expertise of existing UK international new writing initiatives - Royal Court, Traverse, and RNT Studio - we are accessing key transnational networks, stimulating creative exchange.
We are doing so specifically through collaboration with the British Council, via the transnational elements of the Creative Renewal and Transmission projects and by operating in liason with the Informal European Theatre Meeting (IETM) in Birmingham in October 2003 and Budapest in April 2004. Subsequent meetings have been held in Graz (October 2004), Belgrade (again in tandem with the IETM, March 2005), Tampere (August 2005), Amsterdam (November 2005) Graz (March 2006) and Leeds (May 2006) as part of the Janus project and Istanbul (April 2007) .
We are planning meetings for Romania October 2008 and Spain July 2009.
A partnership of 5 organisations from the network of Fence participants came together to develop a one-year project entitled Janus (June 05-May 06).
- uniT Verein für Kultur an der Karl Franzens Universität Graz, Austria
- The Finnish Theatre Information Centre, Finland
- West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, UK
- writernet, UK
- Theater Instituut Nederland
Janus used the Fence network to identify 15 plays from different countries across Europe that engage with the theme of Cultural Identity: cultural diversity. These were then translated into English, German, and Finnish and given showcased readings as part of Festivals in Tampere, Finland (August 05); Graz, Austria (March 06) and Leeds, UK (May 06). Once the plays had been translated, each playwright went to the host country for a week before the Festival to work with a playwright/dramaturg to explore the context of the play in translation as well as the actual text itself. Plays were selected in collaboration with the festival host country who pursue opportunities for potential production.
The book of the project was published in November 2007 and will be launched in Leeds and London in February 2008.
PARIS – LONDON
dialogue, difference, engagement
| “In questioning the identity of immigrant populations, we are questioning the identity of France” Zalia Sékaï |
| “The more that an immigrant sees that his culture is respected, the more he will be open to the culture of his new country.” Amin Maalouf |
| “We hold our differences in common; the differences are what’s interesting about us.” Gabriel Gbadamosi |
The Entente Cordiale of 1904 was stimulated by a desire for trade and a need to creatively resolve disputes over colonies. Coming only a decade before The Great War, it was emblematic of an older Europe of multiple alliances. A century later, new communities in both our countries are exploring identity – ours, theirs – as part of a new Europe.
Acts of Translation is a long-term project bringing playwrights from these cities together to explore what it is to be working in Europe now as a playwright whose cultural origins may lie outside the notion of a Christian Europe.
This is a new playwriting programme linked to the citizenship curriculum for schools in London. It was initially started in Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets. Sparked by a visit to a play which raised issues relevant to the citizenship agenda, Write Thinking enabled Year 9 students from 4 schools to find their own literary voices. Led by playwrights Jennifer Farmer and Anthony Fletcher, the workshop programme included sessions to explore and debate the themes raised in the play, followed by up to four sessions focused on writing. Students then wrote their own 10 minute plays. A selection of these was then performed by professional actors as a rehearsed reading at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
With continued support from Deutsche Bank, writernet further developed its partnership with Mousetrap Theatre Projects to build on the successes of the pilot in 2005 and create a opportunities for more young people. It has recently been held in Harrow, Brent and Barnet, with playwrights Diame Samuels, Joseph Coelho and Lance Woodman and final presentation held at the Arts Theatre presided over by Roy Williams, Bonnie Greer, Diane Samuels and Carole Winter.
Write Thinking in 2008 is now a collaboration between Mousetrap Theatre Projects, writernet and the Citizenship Foundation supported financially by the John Lyons Foundation, with playwrights Amber Lone, Sita Bramachari and Anthony Fletcher and a showcase at The Ambassadors Theatre.
Click here to download a PDF of Double Exposure
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