Winning script to be performed in September 2009
First prize £500
As part of our 40th Anniversary celebrations, we are pleased to announce a new playwriting competition. We are looking for a full length original play in any style that reflects the theme of ‘the state of the nation’. The first prize will be £500, and we hope to perform the winning play in September 2009. The closing date for entries is 5th January 2009. Further details, the rules of entry and entry forms will be available on this page in due course.
Q: What performance space available to the Bench Theatre?
A: We have access to a small (130 seat) fully equipped studio theatre at Havant Arts Centre. More details about the centre and its programmes are available from www.havantartscentre.co.uk.
Q: Where can I find information on ‘standard play script layout’?
A: There is a sample page of layout (and a downloadable format) from www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom . This is an excellent site which contains much useful advice for writers of all kinds.
Q: Where else can I find advice on playwriting in general?
A: Advice can be found on a number of sites, often with good links. Some examples are:
Q: Where can I find information about copyright and related legal matters?
A: The Writers’ Guild is a good source of information even for non-members. Go to www.writersguild.org.uk and look at FAQs and the Rates section.
Q: When will the results of the Competition be announced?
A: We hope to announce the shortlist by the end of March 2009 (details will be on this website) and the winners (who will be notified directly) by the end of May.
Q: What exactly do you mean by "state of the nation" play?
A: We mean a play that has something to say about the way we live in Britain today. It may be overtly political, but it could also be a reflection of more personal experiences, or indeed a combination of the two. Historical subjects can often reflect current experience very vividly; Shakespeare’s history plays can often have resounding modern relevance in production – they are an excellent example of ‘state of the nation’ plays. If you look at the list of plays that the Bench has produced in its forty years, you will find that most of them fit the title in some way or other.
So what we mean is: plays written now, about now. There is, however, no restriction or preconception about style, genre, setting or subject matter.
In advance of the play writing competition for the 40th Anniversary season, potential entrants might find the judges' report from the last competition informative.
There were a a total of 98 entries. Of those:
No second prize was awarded. Only three entries were received for the Ray Osborne Prize, and as none was felt to be of sufficient standard, the prize was not awarded.
The following comments are intended to give entrants a picture of the competition as a whole and to be of practical value.
First, the practical matters. The standard of presentation was better as a whole than in the first Competition, although there were still a number of dingy carbons and poorly spaced typing – margins so narrow that the names of characters disappeared under the staples. A number were very poorly put together held only by paperclips. Every script is read several times; it ought to be able to stand up to the process and be a pleasure to read.
A surprising number of entries failed to conform to the Rules in a variety of ways; others were insecurely packed and arrived badly damaged with entry forms etc missing. Presentation may not be quite as important as the content, but it certainly helps.
98 entries meant an enormous range of quality, style and subject matter. There were perhaps fewer historical plays than last time, and more on contemporary themes, with matters nuclear featuring quite strongly, if not always successfully.
The vast majority were literate and articulate; dialogue was often good. The reason why more plays were not more successful was because they were simply not plays at all. They were conversations or debates, sometimes lectures or sermons, or stories in dialogue form. Plays happen on stages, and the magic of the stage is particular and peculiar to itself. A large number of entrants seemed to have little love or understanding of the theatre as a living process. Drama requires conflict; in other words, two vital forces meeting and causing sparks. The audience should see the conflict dramatised, lived through – not merely be told, flatly, that something has taken place.
Another recurring weakness among the less successful plays was the lack of awareness of what to do with characters when they’re not speaking; if they are on stage, they have to fulfil a dramatic function. This was often linked with a difficulty in getting plot information across in the dialogue. Again there has to be an internal, dramatic reason for the words spoken; characters telling each other things they obviously already know (“You did say your wife was killed in a car crash?”) does not work in dramatic terms.
Among the more successful plays – those commended and highly commended, there was an exciting range of style and content. A number were well written and often highly readable, but again there was a tendency for them not to be fully theatrical. Some would make marvellous stories, or even novels. Others were closer to the nature of TV and radio. Finally there were a few that had a strong feel for the richness and flexibility of language, combined with a strong theatrical sense. It was partly this quality that put the winner, Todds’ War, far ahead of the field.
Todds’ War by Steve Farnfield, was admired for its sensitivity to language, its theatricality, and perhaps above all for its strong contemporary feel. We had no preconceived ideas at all about what kind of play we were looking for, beyond the fact that we were looking for good new work, and Todd’s War was felt to be very much of the 80s.
We would like to thank you all for entering the Competition, and for giving us a difficult but rewarding task.
We would also hope to perform the winning play in September 2009 at Havant Arts Centre
Send TWO copies of your play, which must be anonymous, with a pseudonym only on the cover of each copy
Include title of the play on every page, and ensure that pages are numbered
Cheques for £5 entry fee should be made payable to BENCH THEATRE
Enclose a sealed envelope containing:
Send to :
Bench Theatre Playwriting Competition
PO Box144
Havant
Hants
PO9 1XB
UK
Writers who have entered our competition will want to know that the process is fair and impartial, so here is an outline of the process we are adopting:
First and foremost we will ensure that the Administrator, who checks and logs entries as they arrive, is entirely separate from the Reading Panel. The Administrator keeps all records of writers' real names strictly confidential and ensures that the Readers only see anonymous scripts.
Every play will be read in its entirety at least twice (providing it meets the Terms and Conditions of the Competition).
There are ten members of the Reading Panel, and they represent a broad mix of age, gender, background, professional and theatre experience.
The readers will work in pairs, scoring each play as it is read. Where there is a difference of opinion, the play will be passed to a third reader.
The scoring will be used to arrive at a long list.
We are unable to acknowledge receipt of scripts or return them, but we will post list of plays received (by title only) at intervals on the website. If you have sent a play that does not appear on the list, you could write to the Adminstrator to check.
Bench Theatre Playwriting Competition
PO Box 144
Havant
Hants PO9 1XB