New Literary Manager at The Space, Mike Carter, is a playwright with extensive experience of developing new work with hundreds of writers. I caught up with him to get the lowdown on what he’ll be setting up for playwrights over the next few months…
I was delighted to join The Space team as Literary Manager last month. For those new to the venue, The Space (patron, Sir Ian Mckellan) is an atmospheric Victorian building on the Isle of Dogs that is fast becoming one of the most exciting of London’s fringe venues.
It has a growing reputation for “continually providing a launch pad for new talent” (Spy in the Stalls) and programming “incredibly ambitious and interesting new work” (Theatre Box Blog). This week, female-led collective, The UnDisposables are performing Shakespeare-inspired Jailer’s Daughter.
Appointing a Literary Manager is part of The Space’s ongoing commitment to new writing and the incubating of emerging companies. A new Deputy Director, Matthew Jameson has also recently been announced.
Encouraging talent is in the building’s DNA, as is evident from the quality and variety of companies that perform there week in week out. Having benefited directly too with my own work, I am now incredibly pleased to be part of the organisation.
Our goal is to provide an additional and alternative route to the current new writing theatres – perhaps reading work that isn’t on their radar.
In recent years, I have read hundreds of submissions, alongside a fabulous reader team, for the Space’s Script Space new writing initiative. All submissions to Script Space receive written feedback as part of the scheme. I have seen standards continue to rise.
It feels an exciting time to be reading new work. Script Space 2019 is coming to an end with the final of four selected plays being read at 2pm, Sunday August 25th. Tickets are free. ‘The Pilgrim Soul of You‘ by Arthur Cole is an atmospheric tale of loss set on the sands of Morecombe Bay. ScriptSpace 2020 will open for submissions in the New Year.
Following Script Space, my first Space writing workshop is planned for September 10th to 12th. Over three evenings ‘Beyond The First Draft’ will ask writers to share their work, undertake a range of exercises and see their texts performed before devising a plan for the future.
We will share experiences, good and bad, of reading hundreds of plays at various stages of development and describe some of the common mistakes that writers make with early drafts. Through discussion, participants will overcome their challenges and set some clear targets.
Finally, my new play runs at the Space 27th August – 1st September. Chekhov in Moscow is a frenetic comedy celebrating the great playwright’s life, work and wit. I’ll be hosting a Q&A on the 29th August. Readers can get £10 tickets by quoting offer code ‘playwright’ when booking.
If you’re a writer, I hope to see you at the Space soon for any of the above initiatives. You would be very welcome as we aim to engage with the writing community, inspire emerging talent and develop exciting new work.