Deadline for
submissions: July 31, 2015
Entries for submissions for The Imbewu Trust’s 2015 SCrIBE
Scriptwriting Competition are now open.
Now in its fourth year, the SCrIBE Scriptwriting Competition
is a platform for writers to have their work developed, with various prizes to
be won, including a run at a Cape Town theatre and the opportunity to receive
feedback at a week of staged readings with audience and industry professionals.
There is also the chance to work with mentors to develop entrants’ writing
styles and scripts.
Previous entrants have gone on to rework their text as a
result of the open readings and some on to further professional runs. The 2014
winner, Joanna Evans, will have her play Four
Small Gods produced by the Imbewu Trust for a run in Cape Town in September
this year.
Criteria for the 2015 competition are that the scripts
should be in English, no longer than 40 pages or 80 minutes long and with a
maximum of five cast members. The Imbewu Trust and judges are looking for
original content of outstanding quality that shares the diverse range of South
African stories.
Deadline for submissions is July 31, 2015. Information and
the entry form are available at http://www.imbewuarts.com/scribe-writing-competition/
“The SCrIBE Scriptwriting Competition has constantly evolved
to ensure we are maximising the opportunities for writers to have their work
nurtured,” says co-founder of the Imbewu Trust, Samantha de Romijn. “We have
been delighted that some of the entrants from 2014 have even sent us second
drafts of their script, just as a process for feedback and development. This is
our goal – to create platforms in which writers feel supported, share ideas and
have a forum to discuss and get feedback on their work, a process which is
often costly for artists to do, and so is often not rigorous enough. Including
an audience in the journey of the creation of a play through post-show
discussions, also assists to build future audiences.”
The Imbewu Trust is a non-profit organization which was
established to promote the development of contemporary South African theatre
and arts and to help showcase it on an international stage. It seeks to create
an accessible community of varied voices that can flourish through
collaboration, resourcefulness and innovation.
The Trust created the SCrIBE Scriptwriting competition to
provide new opportunities for local writers to fully develop their work. The
panel of SCrIBE judges comprises a group of seasoned theatre practitioners.
The shortlist of entrants will have the opportunity to have
their play presented at a series of staged readings by a professional creative
team at the end of September this year. The overall winner will have their play
produced by the Imbewu Trust; a second winner will work with a professional
writer to develop their script and a third will receive the financial prize of
the Scribbler’s Dream, and work with a mentor to develop their writing style.
Durban actor Menzi Mkhwane’s was the recipient of the 2014
script development award for his text
Last Cow Standing. He has been working with Standard Bank Young Artist and
award-winning writer, director and theatre maker Neil Coppen, and has already
produced a revised version of his original script.
“Rising young writer Thomas Hopkins, dazzled us with his
insight despite his age, submitting The
Great Beginning. He won the 2014 Scribbler’s Dream, and has been working
with Neil on the script as well as a new idea,” says de Romijn.
To receive the entry form for the SCrIBE Scriptwriting
Competition email imbewusa@gmail.com