Our writer-in-waiting has been on the Royal Court Theatre’s Critical Mass Programme, Invitation and Super Groups and has been informally attached to the Clean Break Theatre. She has had rehearsed readings of her plays at the Royal Court Theatre, Soho Theatre, Young Vic, Young Actors Theatre and Tristan Bates Theatre.
I’ve finally finished the first draft of the first episode of the first series of the next big thing in TV period drama – Bracewell Road. It’s a comedy-drama about young Caribbeans coming to Britain in the late 1950s, chronicling the highs, the lows, the struggles, the joys, the rum, the blues and the pressures. The show will be winging its way to Gary Beadle next week after an edit, read through and sharpening up of the current 100 plus pages.
I’ve also been contacted by the Knight Hall Agency. They really like the first draft of my 80s feature film. I had a meeting with them in February and need to make some rearrangements to the script before resubmitting it to the agency mid-April. After which they’ve given me an assurance that if they like what they see, they’ll start to ‘push it’ to producers on my behalf
There is just the little matter of my making those script changes, which basically involve me moving the end of the film to the middle of the film and repositioning all the action around that new central focus. In other words I have to almost rewrite the whole thing. Nobody said it was going to be easy.
On the play front, Clean Break Theatre has linked me up with a director who will soon be championing my play Take Me 2 Manhattan (an urban epic for any interested producers out there). Erica Miller, one of Talawa Theatre’s young directors, is still onboard and positive, thankfully.
The collaboration between Tanya Moodie, Norma Dumezweni, Diveen Henry, Lorna Brown and me, facilitated through Clean Break, is shaping up inspirationally. Meetings have been held, characters are up on their feet and in true Mike Leigh style the creation is well underway.
No word from the Beeb yet about my 80s feature film, but I’m soldiering on regardless. I’m also waiting to hear if I’ve been shortlisted for the Adrienne Benham Award http://www.theatre-centre.co.uk/index.php?pid=7 for writers interested in writing live theatre for young people.
I must extend a thanks to my good good friend Maria Thomas, writer, actor, producer as well as an all round support to everything ‘new writing’ at SnakeGully Films http://snakegullyproductions.com/Home.html an independent film company and a hub of good vibes for burgeoning film makers. I’ll be playing a zombie in the film The Still, shoot date April 14th. Well, it’s not the size of the part that matters…
Speaking of size, I’m about to submit a 100-word play, which should form part of the Royal Court Theatre’s 100wordplays http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/100-word-play with a chance to get my work on the walls of the Theatre. The walls are a good start.