Theatr Iolo are launching a playwriting competition for children and young people across Wales. The Cardiff based theatre company are looking for aspiring young writers between the ages of 7 and 16 to write an original ten-minute play. They are keen to hear from children and young people throughout Wales and are asking for submissions to be original, imaginative and anything they want to write about. The winners will see their play performed by professional actors in a public sharing at the Sherman Theatre in 2021.
“Theatr Iolo makes theatre for children and young people, and we love to make work that explores the big questions in young minds. Sometimes we create our shows without a script by exploring an idea or theme through improvisation, but quite often we also begin with a scripted story. We are looking for scripts written by young people, exploring ideas that are meaningful to them. The plays can be about anything they wish to present on stage. We are keen to help budding writers turn their ideas into short scripts and have come up with support resources, advice and tips to help give them the skills needed to write a piece of drama for the stage. We are so looking forward to reading the entries and work with the winners to present their final scripts with professional actors.“
Lee Lyford, Artistic Director, Theatr Iolo
The competition has been launched at a time when most children and young people are learning from home due to COVID-19. The company wanted to provide a creative activity that could be done at home or in school and, in doing so, help both parents and teachers during this challenging time.
“We hope that schools will encourage their learners to enter the playwriting competition, whether they are currently at home with their families or in one of the fantastic hub schools that have been set up in Wales. It’s a brilliant opportunity for children and young people to write about whatever is of interest to them and we hope to receive plays from all over Wales, sharing and celebrating many voices. The only limit is their imagination!”
Lee Lyford, Artistic Director, Theatr Iolo
To support children, parents and teachers, Theatr Iolo will also be publishing a series of resources on their website to help those who are interested in writing for the stage. The resources have been developed in collaboration with Sian Summers, a playwright and senior lecturer in scriptwriting at the University of South Wales.
The entries will be judged in two groups – one for children in primary school (year 6 and under) and one for those in secondary school (year 7 and over). Theatr Iolo’s Artistic Director, Lee Lyford, along with playwright Sian Summers and Sherman Theatre Artistic Director, Joe Murphy, will read the entries and choose one winner from each category.
The winners will receive a £25 book token each, a chance to spend a weekend alongside a director and team of actors who will bring the scripts to life and the opportunity to see their play performed to an audience at the Sherman Theatre in 2021.
For full details, visit www.theatriolo.com/YoungPlaywrights
Submissions should be emailed to [email protected] by 30 June 2020
