Cultural networks – Writing in partnership

Theatre Writing Partnership (TWP) is an initiative that is completely unique to the East Midlands. Funded by the region?s producing theatres (Derby Playhouse, Leicester Haymarket, New Perspectives, Nottingham Playhouse and Royal and Derngate Theatres, Northampton), the network has a pivotal role in supporting and extending new writing across the region, says Esther Richardson.

The organisation is contracted to each of the region?s producing theatres to deliver:

– a script-reading scheme (we read and report on around 500 scripts a year)
– dramaturgical support for writers under commission (we support around 16 new productions a year across the theatres)
– a writers? development programme.

Other work includes our own commissions and productions, writers? laboratories, and mentoring.

The vision behind TWP was to create an organisation that would be of mutual benefit to the theatres and the community of writers alike. For the theatres, it is a way of opening the door for artists to come in and play. For the writers, it can be a way of making the theatres aware of their work; it can also support the development of their career in theatre, as well as enabling them to develop relationships across several producing companies simultaneously.

The creation of TWP followed two years of growth and intensive activity in the area of new writing in the East Midlands. Public interest in playwriting workshops, the increasing amount of regional script-reading and a fast growing database of regional writers all attest to this development. The producing theatres have embraced this new writing community by increasing commissions, writers? laboratories and residencies. In 2001 there were only a handful of projects in development whereas now, at any one time, there might be as many as 25 new writing projects happening across the region.

As an alternative to the traditional model of a literary department working within only one building, TWP has benefited from often being able to set the agenda. Writers and theatres have benefited from having this independence, independence that also enables us to mediate and advocate effectively: we have to be sympathetic to so many agendas that we are the calm waters in many a creative storm!

There is no doubt that we have a crucial role in developing individual artists and no doubt that umbrella organisations can offer something unique in this respect. Yet some of the most effective things we do are really the simplest, and they are things that any arts organisation could do effortlessly. We have a huge e-mail database of writers and artists to whom we forward regular newsletters outlining any opportunities within the industry we have heard about (not just information about us!). This has been a simple thing to organise and sustain, yet it has had the effect of growing a loyal TWP following ? and when writers secure the job you emailed them, for some strange reason you also seem to take some of the credit.

Of course, as part of this commitment to individual artists we include the development of artists within our own partner organisations. For example, we have an Artistic Director?s Forum in which all the resident artistic directors participate, which unusually and, perhaps controversially, has a focus on training, development and networking opportunities specifically for artistic directors. This was formed following a debate we had about the differences between theatre directing and artistic directing during which we recognised how little support there can be for artistic directors in certain aspects of their job.

However, our most ambitious projects to date are starting in the autumn season. In September 2004 we launch a major young writers project, Momentum, which will support the development of up to 25 writers aged 16?25 in the development of a short play for a festival in 2005. In February next year, the first play we commissioned ourselves, ?Satin ?n? Steel?, will open at Nottingham Playhouse.

Esther Richardson is Director of Theatre Writing Partnership.
e: [email protected];
w: http://www.theatrewritingpartnership.com