In November 2002 we set out our 3-year objectives. How did we do?
To undertake nationwide consultation with writers in tandem with regional writers organisations, key producing companies and regional offices of ACE, building on the Pathways project in South East – in order to identify needs, better signpost existing provision, negotiate regionally how gaps might best be filled and disseminate effective practice between regions.
*please see Beware The Writing On The Wall.
To formalise delivery to theatre writers of information, advice and guidance services as part of creativepeople.
* please see CreativePeople.
To work with Creative Partnerships via creativepeople, literature Training (formerly new writing & literature consortium) and in particular the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE), ensuring that theatre writers have access to opportunities in education for both work and professional development.
* Through CreativePeople we made representations to Creative Partnerships at the national level. Through the Writers Guild we lobbied for grearter inclusion of playwrights in opportunities for artists working in schools. Through NAWE we have lobbied for playwrights to be included in all their plans for writers working in Educational settings - and playwrights now regularly form part of their work, from their Artscape database to their planned programme of work for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
To develop information, advice, guidance and training for writers working in other third sector contexts (health, community, prisons & probation, regeneration, business etc), building on the Out of Context day held with Pursued by a Bear, synthesising knowledge gained from the Transmission project with expertise of literature training partners, and drawing on research for the guide for playwrights working with the amateur sector.
*please see Transmission and Guide to Amateur Theatre.
To continue development of www.writernet.co.uk as a major learning and employment resource for playwrights.
* this website now has over 40,000 page hits every month. This has more than doubled during the last 3 years. We continue to add information, guidance and knowledge to the site both in time critical sections relating to opportunities for work and professional development and to create a body of learning materials for playwrights, theatre practitioners, academics, policy makers and funders.
To build on writernet’s relationship with Soho Theatre & Writers Centre, following the successful recent production of Kerry Hood’s ‘Meeting Myself Coming Back’, both as a London base for collaborative projects and the annual Writers’ Expo.
* We gave showcased readings of 4 new plays as part of Hydroponic at Soho Theatre in October 2005; as part of Beware The Writing On The Wall, we ran a Career Development Round Table. We hold Advisory Council meetings in their Writers Room and liaise regularly with their Literary Manager.
To continue working with the Theatre Committee of the Writers Guild of Great Britain as the union for theatre writers and help lobby for better terms and conditions.
* We continued to contribute via participation in The Writers Guild Theatre Committee, their Literary Management Fora, we lobbied for ACE to recognise the need to create guidelines for playwrights to access their Grants for the Arts. The Writers Guild have now created those guidelines.
To review our 5 year, 3 project collaboration with Graeae and within the context of enhanced Literary management and dramaturgical support for them, pursue further training and development programmes for disabled writers.
* We provided dramaturgical support to one of Graeae's commisioned playwrights, we advised them on their new writing strategy; we supported the writing of 2 collaborative funding bids which were unsuccessful; we developed a mentoring scheme as part of Turning Heads Into Tales for delivery in 2006-2007.
To explore possibilities for using this successful collaboration model with other sub-sectors that do not have literary management.
* Our Hydroponic project grew out of our partners' engaging with the report we had written on our disPlay4 project
To enhance delivery of services to writers and increase their access to training and development opportunities, via continued involvement with and development of consortia: Literature Training and creativepeople; and in partnership with Metier as an access point for consortium based funding (including non-arts based and European).
* we continued to support the growth of literature training; we sat on the steering group for Write Words, their colaborative project with the Scottish Book Trust and facilitated partnership with the new Playwrights Studio, Scotland; we collaborated with literature training on the professional development planning for Hydroponic.
To develop a range of information, advice and guidance resources around new plays for Children and Young People via a consortium bid to Culture On-line.
* Our consortium based bid to Culture On-line was not sucessful. We wrote a report for Arts Council England, London with key recommnedations for supporting new writing around children and young people. We secured new funding from Deutsche Bank so that we could create partnerships and deliver work in this area. Please see Write Thinking and Meteorite.
To increase opportunities for UK theatre writers in Europe and abroad strategically, by engaging with existing UK new writing company activity (eg Royal Court, Traverse, RNT Studio), accessing key transnational networks, stimulating creative exchange: specifically through collaboration with the British Council, via the transnational elements of Creative Renewal and Transmission projects and folowing the Birmingham Informal European theatre Meeting (October 2003).
*We launched a European network for playwrights and cultural operators: The Fence.
To increase the writernet subscriber base.
* we opted to focus on project delivery, organisaiotnl review and increasing our reach through partnership development (please see the Playwrights Network) and developing this website. In this way we have reached many more people while targeting our resources and making a strategic impact.
To continue sustainable organisational growth.
* we worked with 2 organisational development consultants to refocus the organisaiton, as part of Beware The Writing On The Wall. By the end of 2005 we have secured resources to be able to maintain the organisation's output until at least Spring 2007.
To remain open to suggestion, invitation and change.
* we would like to hear your views - so please do contact us
href="mailto:<info@writernet.org.uk">
feedback to writernet via email
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