‘Playwriting at the Pit’ sees facilitators Mike Carter and Saffron Myers in a new venue for Autumn 2018. Their workshops have a proven track record of encouraging theatre writers at every level to create exciting new work. I asked Mike to describe their approach to developing plays and encouraging talent:
‘Saffron and I think the most important input any writer can get, particularly if they are working on something new, is from a cheerleader – someone who believes in them, their ideas and their skills.
Writing alone is hard, so we focus on creating a supportive environment. We also know that, like every other artform, playwriting needs nurturing at its foundations. London’s new writing scene is flourishing with opportunities and we are both excited to play our part. We are conscious, however, that working in a vacuum can still be incredibly challenging.
Through providing coaching, mentoring and guidance, we can develop talent and ultimately support new voices in theatre.
We have worked with playwrights of all experience and backgrounds. Everybody needs a helping hand. Whether you are hearing about exercises and tools for the first or ninety-first time, they never stop being useful.
We take writers through a series of exercises right there in the room with us. There is a place for theory and reading, but we think writing is best served by actually writing. More often than not, this involves pen, paper and a stopwatch.
It’s all about encouragement and motivation.
Saffron and I compliment each other because we come from different places. I’m a writer and Saffron is a director so we respond to text differently.
I’ll often rush ahead, excited by concepts and themes, while Saffron puts on the brakes to be more considered about performance and staging. Mind you, sometimes it’s totally the other way round too.
Either way, because our task is helping writers navigate through their ideas rather than providing definitive answers, different perspectives are often incredibly helpful.
As a director, Saffron is aware each writer has a ‘unique take’ and set of experiences to bring to their plays. She nurtures their voice and vision and marries that with a kind of ‘detective work’ that helps them find what works for them.
Foremost, we both provide the opportunity to experiment and play followed by the ability to redraft and hone.
Saffron directs each writer’s work during the workshops during a short script-in-hand rehearsal. Getting work ‘on its feet’ and enjoying the input of actors is a vital part of the content for us. How can you write for the stage without experiencing the performative element? It is definitely a course highlight and we’ve had some amazing moments where work has truly come to life – sparking a thousand and one ideas for our writers.
Our key message is the craft of playwriting need not be daunting and isn’t necessarily driven by theoretical understanding. It is about knowing, and having confidence in, yourself and your practice more than anything you can learn from a book.
Writers at any level can create work they are proud of by adopting the practical techniques that work for them (and, it follows, disregarding any that don’t). We stress we provide ”tools not rules” during the workshops.
If you have a good ear for dialogue, go to town. If you have a fixed idea of the structure of your play, there’s no need to make it more complicated than it needs to be.
Our role is to cram each minute of our workshops full of strong content.
We have some exercises people might recognise, some new innovations and things that will definitely come as a surprise.
With that in mind, our workshops suit writers able to throw themselves into challenges. Brand new writers often comment how safe they feel with us. Those with more experience, welcome the opportunity to be free of constraints.
Like many, we phase our programme over a few stages culminating in both group and individual goals. We strictly limit our group size to eight meaning we can focus our efforts on any individual expectations within that framework.
Completing the eight-week programme isn’t really an end, however.
There’s no pressure, but we hope that each writer will go on and finish a full-length play. We start a relationship of support and dramaturgy that continues after the course ends. A one to one discussion of any completed draft, when it happens, is included in the programme.
Our writers have gone on to be shortlisted for several awards, development with the Park Theatre and New Diorama and training with the National Theatre for example.
The overall philosophy behind our work is genuine admiration and respect for anyone who wants to write for theatre. We don’t ask about previous experience or credits from anyone because future potential excites us so much.’
Playwriting at the Pit sessions take place on Wednesdays 7 – 9pm from October 10th. The Cockpit is a short walk from Marlybone Station.
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