Oxford New Writing Festival
Think theatre is all about the thesps? Think again.
Olivia YallopSixth week hails Oxford’s New Writing Festival.
Organised by OUDS, the New Writing Festival is a script writing competition open to all students to showcase the hot new writing talent in Oxford.
With 29 entries, the competition was hot, with the best four chosen by an external judge, Anya Reiss, (award-winning young writer whose plays have been performed at the Royal Court and Southwark Playhouse) and put forward for performance during sixth week.
The ultimate goal, the coveted title of Best Production, will this year be judged at the end of the festivities by Emily Jenkins – a talented Royal Court young writer and winner of the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe First for her production of ‘Rainbow.’
There are four fresh new plays on at the BT this week:
New Beginnings
Directed by Charlotte Fraser, Worcester
New school, new rules. Socially awkward and encumbered by his embarrassing family, an off-the-wall account of Boy’s first day at sixth form.
Playing: Thursday, Saturday
More information here
Bad Faith
Directed by Jonny Sellin, St Hugh’s
A group of Oxonian undergrads navigate love, lust and text-a-toastie.
Playing: Thursday, Saturday
More information here
Roost
Directed by Carla Kingham, Kellogg
A ‘disillusioned rural socialite’ gives a unique insight into her life in deepest Dorset. Starring two live chickens.
Playing: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
More information here
Closing Time
Directed by Gabriel McCallum, Magdalen
Dark, angsty and mysterious – just another day in the life of office worker Arthur.
Playing: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
More information here
The Tab caught up with Producer Isabella Anderson about the festival:
‘Its purpose is really to raise the profile of new writing, give students the opportunity to have their work reviewed by an industry professional and encourage new writing in Oxford.’
It seems the budding scriptwriting scene is in need of creative outlets:
‘Oxford has quite a healthy new writing scene at the moment – there has been no shortage of productions of new scripts – and many consecutive years of the festival can certainly take some credit for encouraging this.
It’s now much easier to put on new writing than it has been. It can, however, be harder to encourage audiences for productions of new writing.
Audiences seem to see it as more of a risk, but a great piece of new writing is so often much more exciting than seeing a play you already know.’
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