As well as the homework set after each fortnightly session at the Nuffield Theatre Writers Group, we are also given longer term projects that build on all the skills we have been studying in the sessions with the aim of writing a full length play at the end of the programme.

Our first such project was a short two scene piece (literally two pages) made up entirely of snippets of overheard conversation – I did mine after a trip to Morrisons! It’s here if you are interested.

Our next project (over the summer) was our first ‘play’. The brief was to write a 10 minute play (a popular format in the States, I understand) in 3 acts.

Why 3 acts?

Well, the brief goes back to the time our mentor, Director, John Burgess, was Head of New Writing at the National Theatre.

One year, there was a surpless in the budget and an idea was put forward to commission 10 writers to write a 10 minute play each. It was decided that to make the performances much more interesting for the audience, the plays would need to be written in three acts, that way Act I of the first play could be performed, followed by Act I of the second, and then of the third, and then back to Act 2 of the first play, etc.

The result was an evening of quite different plays, where you didn’t know which installment was coming up next, almost like a ’soap opera’ with individual stories being played out.

Well, the summer is now over, and Room 20 has made it out of my head, through my MackBook, on to paper and down to Southampton (and in London by now!) and I’m happy with it.

Mind you, it’s taken long enough. I had no idea how much work could possibly be involved in writing a ten minute play.

There were a few last minute changes (including a character name which I knew needed changing, but was stuck on – Thanks Tom) but I have tried to include all the things I have learnt so far, and hope I have been able to write something good and worth reading; a complete play with believable characters and a plot and all in 10 minutes. Not easy, I can assure you.

Anyway, I handed it in last Thursday at our writers group meeting, and as soon as I had we were being set our next project. We now have until the end of February to write a 44 minute radio play.

44 minutes?

Yep, that’s the length needed for the afternoon play slot on Radio 4. We were given three examples, one of which was directed by John, and another was written by Sarah Daniels.

Time to study the format. Gonna be tricky. Haven’t got a clue where to start!

Umm, ideas anyone?

–

Must end by saying some thank yous.

Writing, I’m learning, isn’t necessarily a solitary job. Many people’s time and efforts have gone into Room 20.

I see things, I overhear things, I think things, I listen to things; and they all go into my writing. (Even a comment said to me in passing is now an important part of the end of the play – Thanks Mike.)

Sometimes, however I need somewhere to start. And for this play I ‘interviewed’ some of the young people from the Riverside Youth Theatre, and from that came the idea for the play and the inspiration for the characters and the plot.

So a big-massive-huge-gynormous thank you from me to:

Tom Addy
Mark Forrest
Peter Williams
Annabel Smith
Katherine Parkinson
and
Michael Smith

Room 20 is now here on my blog for downloading if you want to read it.

Any comments good or bad, very much appreciated.