On April 16th 2010, TheatreOrb, a newly formed south-west based theatre company with a focus on new writing is proud to launch its' first two 'productions': a new writing festival offered to all south-west based writers and a production of Simon Stephens acclaimed, disturbing and moving play 'Herons'.
To book tickets for the Festival or Herons please call the box office at the Lighthouse in Poole on 0844 406 8666 or go to the Lighthouse website: www.lighthousepoole.co.uk. If you click on calendar of events on the left hand side of the page you can select the dates of the festival (16th - 18th April) and buy tickets for any of the masterclasses, screenings or performances of 'Herons' taking place over the weekend.
Orb New Writing Festival, April 16 – 18th 2010
Lighthouse, Poole Centre for the Arts
A 3 day festival celebrating new writing for the theatre with a weekend of inspirational masterclasses and screenings of work by some of the country’s leading playwrights and industry professionals including:
Jack Bradley, Nell Leyshon, Phil Porter, Joe Penhall (cinema), John Foster and Jez Butterworth (screening)
DAY 1
FRIDAY 16TH APRIL
12:05pm SOUTH WEST NEW WRITERS NETWORK MEETING
Join writers and theatre professionals from across the region at this ever popular network event. Please contact swnwn.googlegroups.com to sign up to the network.
2.40pm PANEL DISCUSSION - The State Of Play
New writing in Dorset & the South West. Chaired by David Lane with Nell Leyshon, Sharon Clark (Head of the Writers' Room - Bristol Old Vic), Jon Welch & Kirstie Davis (Artistic Director, Forest Forge)
5pm CINEMA: “SOME VOICES” by Joe Penhall, starring Daniel Craig, David Morrissey and Kelly Macdonald.
7.30pm HERONS (theatre production) by Simon Stephens.
“do you ever get the feeling that you aren’t allowed to be a child anymore?”
This production of the critically acclaimed play” Herons “ by south west based companies TheatreOrb/Off the Wall Theatre has been selected for the International Youth Arts Festival 2010. Contains strong language and violence. Tickets £10/£7
DAY 2
SATURDAY 17TH APRIL
10.30am - 1pm MASTERCLASS with NELL LEYSHON
MASTERING THE BASICS
Nell Leyshon's workshop will focus on the basics of writing for the stage, including structure, dialogue and character. She will also look at what makes writing for the theatre different from other forms and give you inspiration to go off and write your own play. Nell Leyshon is currently finishing Bedlam, which will be the first play written by a female playwright at the Globe Theatre, and is working on projects for the Royal Court and National Theatre. Previous plays include Comfort Me with Apples, The Farm & Glass Eels.
2pm - 4pm MASTERCLASS / WORKSHOP with PHIL PORTER
WRITING FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Bruntswood Prize winner and currently under commission to the Unicorn Theatre and Polka Theatre, Phil’s previous work includes Cracks in My Skin (Bruntswood Prize, Manchester Exchange), Invisible Borders (Birmingham Rep) and The Angel with Two Faces (Pentabus).
A practical workshop for writers interested in creating exciting theatre for young audiences. Participants will analyse successful work, develop their own ideas and explore the unique challenges and pitfalls that come with writing for young people.
5PM CINEMA "ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE" by Joe Orton, selected for our festival by Phil Porter.
7.30pm HERONS (theatre production) by Simon Stephens.
“do you ever get the feeling that you aren’t allowed to be a child anymore?”
This production of the critically acclaimed play “Herons” by south west based companies TheatreOrb/Off the Wall Theatre has been selected for the International Youth Arts Festival 2010. Contains strong language and violence. Tickets £10/£7
DAY 3
SUNDAY 18TH APRIL
11am - 1pm MASTERCLASS/WORKSHOP with JOHN FOSTER (Screenwriter/BBC scriptwriter/ Playwright)
VISUALSTORYTELLING IN WRITING FOR FILM & TELEVISION
John Foster is Screenwriter-in-Residence and Subject Leader of the Screenwriting Programmes in the Media School of Bournemouth University His screenwriting credits include Z-Cars, Softly Softly, Crown Court, Emmerdale, Juliet Bravo, Rockliffe, Saracen, The Bill. He has also written children’s’ serials, one-off dramas and dramatised documentaries, including a BAFTA award-winning BBC Omnibus on crime novelist Raymond Chandler. His screenplay Letters from a Killer was produced in 1998 starring Patrick Swayze,
This three-hour workshop focuses upon the importance of visual storytelling in film and television screenwriting. Discussion and workshop exercises will emphasise the necessity of ideas and concepts offering the potential of visual exposition and the importance of in-situ observational research which will be explored as a source of inspiration for visual narratives.
Craft areas addressed will include screenplay layout, screen language, writing scene directions, impressionism, setting and arena, mise-en-scène, interior landscape, montage, creating images and writing imagistically, word painting, using sound atmospherically, the controlling image. An accessible workshop for writers at all stages of their careers
2pm - 5pm MASTERCLASS WITH JACK BRADLEY (Literary Manager, National Theatre (1995 - 2007), Literary Associate, Sonia Friedman Associates)
Part One: 2pm - 4.30pm FORM AND STRUCTURE – Aristotle or Bust. The essential ingredients of dramatic story-telling.
Part Two: 4.30 - 5pm THE INSIDE TRACK – Lifting the Lid off What Literary Departments and West End Producers want, what has worked, what does work, what will work.
4pm CINEMA "MOJO" (screening) by JEZ BUTTERWORTH
Please do come and join us at The Lighthouse for what promises to be an exciting and inspirational weekend celebrating new writing for the theatre.
www.lighthousepoole.co.uk
www.theatreorb.co.uk
