Deadline: July 31
The Imbewu Trust is calling for
applications for their third SCrIBE Scriptwriting Competition, with a number of
prizes available this year.
Closing date for applications is July 31 and
the top five scripts will be selected for a week-long staged reading in
October, with the opportunity for discussion and feedback from the public and
members of the theatre industry.
The winning script will be produced by a
professional creative team for a run at a Cape Town theatre in 2015. A second
winner will have the chance to further workshop his or her play, with a third
award of the Scribblers Dream, a financial prize to enable a writer to work
alongside a mentor to develop his or her script. The panel of SCrIBE judges
comprises a group of seasoned theatre practitioners.
The Imbewu Trust is a non-profit
organization which was established to promote the development of contemporary
South African theatre and arts. Founded by Sam de Romijn and Paul Griffiths,
Imbewu seeks to create an accessible community of varied voices that can
flourish through collaboration, resourcefulness and innovation. Imbewu’s
primary objectives are to stimulate the contemporary theatre industry, as well
as showcase the best of South African theatre on an international platform and
create opportunities for new theatre practitioners.
“We have been overwhelmingly inspired by
the calibre of scripts that we have received in the past two years,” says
Griffiths. “The depth and breadth of style, genre and subject matter has
underlined the high level of creativity and imagination we have in this
country, and the wealth of stories we have to tell. A text comes alive when it
is read from the page, and presented on the stage. It is during this process
that its strengths and weaknesses are highlighted. As a result, we have evolved
SCrIBE over the years, to allow the full potential of the top entries to be
realised, and for a group of writers to benefit from the input of a
professional team.”
De Romijn adds: “It is an incredible
opportunity for a writer to have access to resources and the cost of mounting a
production covered by a professional team, but also a chance for a host of
other writers to develop their craft. A number of previous entrants have gone
on to rework their text as a result of the open readings, and some on to
further professional runs.”
For SCrIBE 2014, Imbewu is looking for new
works of outstanding quality, original content and which represent the range of
the South African theatre landscape. The scripts should be in English, no
longer than 40 pages or 80 minutes, with no more than five cast members.
The Imbewu Trust’s other initiatives
include the Imbewu Showcase in New York, USA. Started in 2012, when Imbewu presented
Neil Coppen’s Tin Bucket Drum to great acclaim, this project aims to create
dialogue between US practitioners and Imbewu, and to develop South African arts
through cultural exchange. The next New York Showcase was planned for mid-2015.
A USA-based team is currently working to identify partners, raise funding and
assist with logistics, to present an exciting season of contemporary South
African performers in New York.
De Romijn said other long-term goals for
the Imbewu Trust included establishing a sustainable bursary fund for tertiary
education at an arts institution, and publishing a collection of scripts from
the SCrIBE Scriptwriting Competition.
For details visit www.imbewuarts.com
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