Writing In Gardens and Theatres

In this newsletter, I talk about playwriting, performing your writing and short stories.

Fishamble Playwriting Weekend

Since my People Wipe Me days, I've had a notion to see if I could write a play with more than one character. I discovered that Fishamble Theatre Company run playwriting courses, and I've enrolled for one on the May Bank Holiday Weekend, the Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It'll be delivered by playwright Gavin Kostick.

I'm hoping to learn about the mechanics of writing a script, but also to create dialogues that help me explore character and find out what opportunities exist for bringing a play into the world. Adapting your ideas to another form can help you mine a seam of inspiration. Here's hoping that happens to me.

Molly Keane Short Story Competition

Waterford Council's dynamic arts office is giving another opportunity for writers to shine, with the annual Molly Keane Creative Writing Award. This is a short story competition in memory of the Anglo-Irish author Molly Keane. The stories must be 2,000 words or less in length, and entries must be in by Monday 19 May at 12 noon. Entries are only accepted via the online submission portal; here's the link.

Free Speak Up Workshop

I'm delighted to tell you that our Speak Up workshop on Saturday 10 May is going to be a free workshop. Garter Lane is including the event in its lineup for Bealtaine, the festival that celebrates older people, so it's free to all who attend. But you will need to book.

Actor Lynda Gough will give you the confidence you need to perform your writing with style and take ownership of your words. The workshop will take place in the basement of Garter Lane Studios from 10.30am to 2pm.

If you'd like to attend, please book via this link. Many thanks to Garter Lane for their support. And if you've any further questions, contact Deborah on speakupwaterford@gmail.com or 0894825443.

Sean Dunne Schedule Announced

Meanwhile, plans are steaming ahead for the Sean Dunne Writers' Weekend in the Japanese Gardens, Tramore. The schedule is more or less finalised, and it includes haiku, a panel discussion, a literary launch and the flagship Gathering of Writers. Poet Mark Roper will also give a talk about Sean Dunne on Saturday 14 June, just before the Gathering.

The schedule is included on the poster below, but I appreciate it may be hard to read, so you can contact me on derbhile@writewords.ie for more information. It'll also be up on the Japanese Gardens website very soon.