WRITE.

Theatre is by definition social; the moment it loses touch with the society with which it interacts, it dies.

WRITE. is a part of our commitment to collaborate and cross-fertilise with our local community – more specifically to enable and encourage self-expression.  For everyone involved, this has been a truly exciting process and, judging by the reactions of the writers, hugely positive.

We, all of us, somewhere in our souls, have the ability and desire to create. If, as a result of WRITE., we have given aspiring playwrights the opportunity and courage to take those all-important first steps, we shall have truly honoured the spirit of our late, beloved Theatre Manager, the sunny Jinny McCallister.

Michael Attenborough
Artistic Director, Almeida Theatre

In November 2005 the Almeida Theatre put out an open invitation to first-time playwrights from Islington.

The journey began with 156 local writers each submitting two pages of dialogue. 25 writers were then invited to take part in a workshop and challenged to write a 15-minute piece. Eight of these scripts were then selected to be explored with a professional director and cast, and the writers were then given a month to develop their work further.

Three scripts were then chosen to be performed by professional actors on the Almeida stage.   They were: Diamond Hard by Nicola Sanderson, Fixer by Lydia Adetunji and Hanging On By A Thread by Kate Davidson.  They were directed by Paulette Randall, Bijan Sheibani and Rebecca Manson Jones and performed on 28th and 29th July 2006.

WRITE was created as part of the Jinny McCallister Playwrighting Fund - launched in memory of Jinny McCallister, Theatre Manager at the Almeida from 2002-2005. Jinny had an infectious passion for playwriting and theatre. It is our wish to provide support, expertise and opportunities to encourage more playwrights like her.