I set up WriteForTheStage back in 2012 because people were asking me (through my connections with Studio Salford) how to write a play. I'd recently made the decision to leave my teaching position (I was teaching music at a big college in Manchester) and really wanted a change in direction. So, I set up WriteForTheStage, giving me an opportunity to continue teaching, and to focus on what I loved.
I've been writing for the stage since 2003. My first play was performed during the inaugural 24:7 Theatre Festival. I'd recently been introduced to fringe theatre through the brilliant offerings of Studio Salford, which had been set up at The Kings Arms a year or so before.
I'd worked for Turn On TV (an indie, making documentaries for ITV) back in the early 2000s. One of the projects I was involved in was the development of a screenplay. I was sent on a course at NorthWestVision (in conjunction with FirstFilm), and I learned about structure, dialogue, and writing for the screen.
This really excited the creative juices, so I set about writing for the screen. But I soon discovered that budgets for TV and film were massive, while budgets for staging small-scale fringe theatre was a little more accessible. So I started writing for performance rather than for the screen and fell in love with the theatre and the form.
I've never looked back since. I've now written 18 stageplays that have been performed extensively around Greater Manchester and as far afield as Western Australia. My work has been used in A level performance projects, and I even have a Twitter hate-campaign to my name for one particular play (which was a terrible experience, but every day's a school day and all that).
Since I've been running WriteForTheStage, I've helped over a hundred writers bring their work to the stages across the UK and beyond - including countless performances around Greater Manchester, and at established venues such as Royal Exchange, Contact Theatre, Oldham Coliseum, Edinburgh Fringe, Bread and Roses Theatre in London, to name but a few. Lots of past participants have gone on to win writing prizes, including The Bread & Roses Playwriting Prize and shortlists at the BBC, and writers have set up their own writing groups and develop their work with support from Arts Council England.
We partnered up with Greater Manchester Fringe Festival four years ago to set up The WriteForTheStage Prize for New Writing, where the first prize is a publication with WFTS Books. In October, we joined forces again to bring the very first WFTS GMFringe Development Conference - representing a great opportunity for people working on the Manchester fringe scene to gain experience and skills from established theatre practitioners.
So, the WriteForTheStage Podcast is our new initiative to share skills and writing tips. We've focused very much on structure for the opening series -
Episode 1 explores the functions of Act 1, in setting up the Problem Of The World (POTW), the forces of antagonism (that embody the POTW), the protagonist's objective that they believe will propel them away from the POTW, and the inciting incident that sets up the journey in Act 2.
Episode 2 was the first of our "In Conversation with..." episodes where myself and Stephen M Hornby discuss (between generally slagging each other off) how established playwrights have set up those elements in their plays. We discuss - amongst others - Gutted, by Ricki Beadle-Blair; and Nut, by Debbie Tucker Green.
Episode 3 was an exploration of the Rising Action, the climax, and the Falling Action of Act 2 - and how the body of the play relates to everything set up in Act 1, including the POTW
Episode 4 sees Stephen M Hornby bang on about Act 2 of some of his favourite plays, including Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and Angels of America, while I try to dampen his ego. We generally bitch about each other while exploring how established playwrights have used Act 2 to drive their characters through triumph and tragedy.
Episode 5 is about Act 3 - the affirmation of theme, the new tension and twist, and finding a satisfying ending.
Episode 6 has myself and Stephen explore the ending of some of our favourite plays, including The Dumb Waiter, by Harold Pinter, and Escaped Alone, by Caryl Churchill. We end up wearing bin bags and improvising Shakespeare soliloquys to live audiences, trapped up a cheap scaffolding tower.
The WFTS Podcast is available here - or on the following podcast distributors (search "The WFTS Podcast":
We're excited to have been awarded 5 Stars on Apple Podcasts, along with some lovely feedback:
Very entertaining - 5* - A nice, alternative look at playwriting - engaging, informative and you can tell the guys are having fun making this." - Jamiexxxx
Much needed podcast 5* - Bravo! I'm delighted that WriteForTheStage has started this podcast. A mix of craft discussions using plays to demonstrate. This podcast is most welcome on my playlist. I really enjoy the playwright chat between Mike and Stephen too. Can't wait to hear more - MrsCass
To find out more about WriteForTheStage, our courses, our publications, and our productions, click here.
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