New Writing South would like to thank all members who came along to the AGM on Friday 30 July.  We’d especially like to thank Anna McGrail who has now stepped down as Chair of the organisation.  Anna will remain on the NWS board and so still be involved with the company.  Huge thanks also go to both Colin Hambrook and Andrew Marshall, both long standing members of the board, who stood down as Trustees at this year’s AGM.  All of them have played a special and integral part in the growth and stability of NWS.

Please join us in welcoming our new chair Elaine Steel (literary agent and former solicitor) and four newly elected trustees to the company: Clare Christian, Shane Henderson (Finance),  Stella Kanu (Marketing) and Ed Wood. We have a great new team to lead us into the future.  Special thanks go to Rosy Carrick of Hammer & Tongue for an entertaining performance of her poetry.

New Writing South and Chichester Festival Theatre have teamed up for a second year to run a Young Playwrights Programme for the South; an exciting series of workshop for young playwrights. After a highly successful first year, culminating in showcase of scenes from the young people being produced and performed as part of Chichester’s Festival 2010, we are now looking for young writers for the 2010/11 programme.

We are looking to select 16 young writers between 16- 25 year olds to help them develop their knowledge and skills as Playwrights. The inspiration for this Programme is to give young writers from the South of England the same opportunities afforded by London’s Royal Court Young Writer’s; namely, to work with a professional playwright to turn ideas and passion into drama in the context of a producing theatre. They will experience what it is to work in the industry and meet with other theatre professionals. Previous visiting artists have included an astonishing wealth of award-winning playwrights from Ronald Harwood, Chloe Moss Tim Price to Judy Upton.

The course will run Saturdays fortnightly for ten sessions between Autumn and Winter 2010/2011 from 11am to 1pm. This is a subsidised programme and the fee is £50.

To apply, please send in two A4 sides of creative writing on a subject of your choice. This can be in script format, or could be a short story or poem, what we want to see is creative flair; no prior experience of writing for theatre is needed.

Please send your creative writing, along with a short extract as to why you would like to take part, to Rupert Rowbotham, Learning & Participation Director, at Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park,  Chichester,  West Sussex,  PO19 6AP. Or email rupert.rowbotham@cft.org.uk

Deadline for applications: 5pm Wednesday 22nd September 2010.

Further to successful exchange visits with colleagues across the channel, we are in the exciting phase of setting up some joint initiatives with two arts organisations in Northern France, Live Lit company La Générale d’Imaginaire and cross art-form company, Fructôse.

NWS is planning a number of Live Lit exchange events in Brighton, Lille and other places and hope to start these in Autumn 2010. The longer term aim of this partnership working is to share knowledge and enable artist development. As part of this project we aim to commission a play to be performed both in the UK and France. Please get in touch if you would like to find out more.