About

A new development programme for playwrights wanting to write for young audiences.

Relevant links & downloads:

Discussions
Skylines Gathering
'Skylines is a unique project, it hugely benefits writers by offering new and broader skills (essential in this climate) and it develops our expertise as a support organisation. There is a real demand for the talent development of playwrights who write for young people and create work for young audiences.'

Chris Taylor, Artistic Director - New Writing South

'Really really enjoyed this programme. I had not realised how much fun it would be to consider writing for a specific age group. Liberating and inspiring!'

Skylines Writer - University of East Anglia

At Theatre Centre we understand the importance of nurturing new talent for the Young People's Theatre sector, so Skylines is here to help develop future generations of playwrights to keep the industry exciting, diverse and relevant.

 

All 15 Skylines workshops have now taken place.  Thank you to everyone that has been involved!

47 writers from accross the country have enjoyed workshops delivered by Laurence Wilson, Rachel Barnet and Oladipo Agboluaje on writing for young people aged 4 to 18 years old.  Each facilitator shared their knowledge of writing for specific age groups with our Skylines writers, before each playwright got the chance to develop a short piece, which was performed by professional actors at our sharing events.

The sharings were a space for young people to give direct feedback to the writers on the play extracts that were presented to them.  Each sharing was aimed at a particular age group: 4+, 8+ or 13+, and the writers produced pieces that were age appropriate.  Some of the writers had never had their work critiqued in this way before, so it was a testiment to their bravery to lay their work open like this.

Dispite initial apprehension the playwrights found it a very useful exercise and the young people at each venue were very articulate in their likes and dislikes in a constructive fashion.  We look forward to seeing these plays developing.

We've had an overwhelmingly positive response from the playwrights that took part in the initiative and we look forward to continue working with them as the project continues.

Thank you to all who have taken part so far and to our regional partners:

 

Have a look at the images from workshops and the sharing events above.

 

Phase Two

The community of writers will continue to develop their skills and interest via the online forum.  There are opportunities to debate issues with one another and access useful resources to aid work.

 

Skylines Showcase 2013

During 2013 Theatre Centre will be celebrating its 60th Birthday.  There are a series of events planned throughout the year, one of which is a writers’ conference.  We are keen to celebrate the company’s focus on developing playwriting talent for young audiences and see the conference as the culmination of the pilot stage of the Skylines programme.

As part of the event we want to provide three Skylines writers with the opportunity to present a new short piece of work to industry professionals and invited guests that will be attending. 

We invite each Skylines writer to submit a short play that they would like to develop for this showcase opportunity.  We will provide dramaturgical support to develop the play and then a panel of judges will select which ones will be staged.  The plays will be rehearsed by professional actors and performed off-book with minimal props, lighting, costume and sound.  The showcase is designed to provide  support to further develop your craft and an individual piece of work, which can then be used as a calling card to the TYA sector.  There will be a Q&A at the end of the performances and then an opportunity to network.  

For more details click here.

 

Keep an eye on the discussion board for all the latest news and discussions! Don't miss out!  Get involved where you can.

 

Skylines is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Latest skyline updates