In this section you can find out more about writernet's recent project based work. What follows is a quick thumbnail; for more details, click on the relevant project above.
With support from Arts Council England and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, writernet worked on the Turning Heads Into Tales programme from November 2005 to November 2007.
we:
- ran a mentoring scheme with Apples and Snakes and Graeae for 5 writer/performers
- curated networks for playwrights and cultural operators in the South West and in Yorkshire
- ran a dozen career development round tables across the country
- held 4 meetings of the Playwrights Network of national and regional organisations who support playwriting, found on our homepage map
- developed this website
- continued to collaborate with literaturetraining to ensure that playwrights benefit from the literature as well as the theatre sector
Hydroponic is a partnership between writernet, South Street, Reading Borough Council and ACE SE around playwriting and cultural diversity.
It is currently in its third phase
In the pilot programme (2004-2005) Hydroponic delivered
- a different way of developing playwrights and their routes to market
- floor based dramaturgy and busaries for 4 national playwrights
- individual CPD for 5 regional playwrights
- laboratory / master classes for both sets and others
- showcase readings in Reading and London
In 2006, the project focused on:
- 3 co-productions
- artist development
- audience development
- South Street’s strategic role in the region
- branding Reading
Stimulated by a theatre visit to a contemporary play that raises issues relevant to the citizenship agenda, the programme enabled a group of Year 8, 9 or Year 10 students to find their own literary voices. The workshop programme included a session with trainers from The Citizenship Foundation to explore and debate the themes raised in the play, followed by between 4 and 7 sessions with professional playwrights focusing on writing. The students were supported by the playwrights to write their own 5- 10 minute ‘play’, either individually or in groups. A selection of the ‘plays’ from each of the four participating schools was presented by professional actors, as a rehearsed reading, and critiqued by a panel of writers and actors.
This was three year European Social Fund (ESF) Equal funded action research project to remove barriers to the workforce on grounds of ethnicity, disability and gender (2002-2005) This has involved the establishment of a new Advisory Council for writernet, Lemonia, The Fence and a substantial survey of Commissioning practices in line with the recommendations of the Eclipse Report.
The vision for Arts Connect was to widen access to, participation or employment within and understanding of the arts through engagement with contemporary arts practice and complementary learning materials.
writernet worked on this project with consortium partners between 2001 and 2004 to develop this website - and in particular the knowledge base, professional development and talent pool sections.
A good practice document for both constituencies commissioned by ACE Audience Development, published by ACE in January 2004.
Deutsche Bank supported a tripartite partnership with writernet and Hampstead Theatre, acknowledging writernet's ability to gather market intelligence, broker relationships and support innovative practice and Hampstead Theatre's commitment to original plays for children and young people and the education work which they deliver around this.
This was an organisational development programme for writernet in two parts, funded by the Regional Arts Lottery Programme via the Arts Council of England.
Regional consultation saw writernet travel around the country offering a range of professional development activity for playwrights, while listening to their questions and concerns as a way of ascertaining needs
We also worked with 2 Organisational Development consultants to examine ways forward for writernet
Writernet and Graeae, in association with Ty Newydd, took 10 Disabled Theatre Writers on a one week residential course to Holton Lee in Dorset. The course ran from Sunday 6th to Friday 11th April 2003 and was taught by playwright and dramaturg Kaite O�Reilly, the director and writer Sam Boardman Jacobs, with contributions from Jenny Sealey (Artistic Director, Graeae) and Jamie Beddard (Associate Director, Graeae).
Transmission was a transnational project, funded by DGV at the European Commission, exploring innovative ways of increasing the range of job opportunities for those working in the performing arts across Europe. It examines the potential of employment growth, particularly in the third sector, through the transference of arts skills into the arenas of health, education, prisons, probation, community, regeneration and business.
An afternoon event co-hosted with new writing company Pursued by a Bear and in association with the Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Caird Company. Out of Context explored the role of the writer in the wider community and brought writers together with practitioners whose work had been focused in contexts such as schools, prisons, health, regeneration and inclusion.
A reading of a new play, War Crimes Tribunal by David Williams, and a discussion on approaches different practitioners have taken when making work about war. The panel included Julia Pascal, Jonathan Chadwick, Lisa Goldman and Fraser Grace. Making War Work was part of the Caird Company's Playing Soldiers Season at the Pleasance.
This project is now completed and a full report is available by either going to the 'Display4 and the Report' page or writing to the writernet office where one can be purchased for 3.00 pounds.
This partnership between writernet, Graeae and Soho Theatre provided theatre writing apprenticeships attached to a professional theatre company for 4 experienced disabled writers.
Following the sold out Expo 2001 (and thanks to support from London Arts), writernet and Soho Theatre held a two day event for writers on November 8th and 9th 2002 as part of Soho Theatre and Writers Centre's Writers Festival.
Pathways was a research and networking initiative which is designed to gather and disseminate information about and for writers working in performance mediums.
This pilot scheme was undertaken in 1999 to offer learning and professional development to nine disabled writers writing for performance. The report charts the scheme from inception to conclusion, detailing in its journey what was learnt from the experience.
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