Spotlight on - JOHN PEEL THEATRE, WIGTON

Where is it?

Station Road
Wigton
Cumbria
CA7 9BA

What does it do? 

From their website: "We have been entertaining audiences in Wigton for seventy years. We present a variety of live entertainment, including comedy, drama, classics, variety, and live music. We run drama, script writing and speech classes and involve many members of the community, both on and off stage, behind the scenes and in front of house."

Facilities:

• Proscenium Arch Auditorium
• 90 seats
• Wheelchair Accessible
• Induction Loop available
• Fully Licensed Bar
• Ice-Creams
• Real Coffee

Check them out: https://www.wigtontheatre.org/

What's New on the Web - Competitions

 A really good way to test your writing and get inspired, is through competitions. Lots of our members apply to competitions as a way to hone their skills and, well, let's be honest - see if they can win! 

There are lots of sites out there that advertise competitions in a variety of different mediums, for example the BBC have their own space for all manner of writing competitions. Check it out below:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities/

Another place which multiple opportunities is a site called COVERFLY. These tend to be call outs for film scripts or varying length, but they do often cater to different genres and styles of writing. Take a look:

https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions

For those more into fiction and poetry, WRITER'S HQ looks to have a wide variety to choose from. 

https://writershq.co.uk/writing-resources/writing-competitions-and-submission-opportunities/

You might notice that a number of these charge £££ to enter, but there are some free ones there too. It's also not an exclusive list, there are MANY sites and sources to choose from. Let us know your favourite!

(P.S. we were not endorsed by any of these sites, they're just ones which work for us)

 We Are Back! 

Since 2021 we have been Zooming in the background keeping our group alive, having meetings and sharing our work. 

Going forward, we have decided to have hybrid meetings in Keswick with a very nifty speaker setup for those not able to come to face to face meetings. This was decided as the best way to continue as North Cumbria Scriptwriters as we have some members living away and some who struggle to get to the meetings. 

Through the winter we are likely to revert to wholly online meetings because who wants to come all that way in a Cumbrian Winter?!

We are in the process of organising one of our famous SCRIPTWRITING COMPETITIONS, so stay tuned! 

Next Meeting:

We are now meeting only online the last Thursday of the month (except December) from 7:30pm.

Email us for more info: northcumbriascriptwriters@gmail.com (please note this email address is infrequently monitored)

Picture the Scene - ADDITIONAL DATE ANNOUNCED!

The 3 winning plays in this year's competition - Picture the Scene - will also be shown at the Penrith Playhouse at 7.30 pm on FRIDAY, 20th October 2018.

Tickets are available from:

http://penrithplayers.org.uk

This date is in addition to the original performance at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick at 7.30pm on SATURDAY, 20th October 2018.

Tickets available from:

https://www.theatrebythelake.com

Collaborations with Penrith Players

North Cumbria Scriptwriters are busy developing short plays for Penrith Players.  Approached by Mike Head, our group has been asked again to submit scripts for a forthcoming local tour.

Mike is also planning to produce a play based on The Mandrake by Machivelli, written during the Renaissance and set in Florence.  However, the task is to write a new script, based on the original premise, but set in Cumbria!  The project will involve a team of writers from NCS working together and in collaboration with Mike Head and Penrith Players. 

Connect Three at Theatre by the Lake

Following the success at the Derwent Water Regatta on 7&8 July, the Elders' company performed all 4 plays written by Members of NCS in the Studio at Theatre by the Lake (TBTL) on Sunday, 15 July.

An appreciative audience of about 50 were a just reward for the excellent performance and commitment shown by all 8 actors over the past 10 weeks and their Director, Dave Cryer, Learning and Participation Manager at TBTL and the latest  Member of NCS.

Congratulations to our writers and a big thank you to all those at TBTL who made the event possible.