Anne Wynne talks about her new play, A Touch of Magic at this year’s Greater Manchester Fringe Festival.
In July 2018, I staged A Fine Life - my debut play - at the GM Fringe Festival, and that journey from page to stage was nothing short of exhilarating.
And then. . . then it was all over.
I couldn’t help but miss my actors, my directors and my characters. They seemed to have all vanished with the final applause on the closing night.
So, what next?
I really didn’t know, but the only way I could counter this feeling of loss was to start
writing again.
In late August 2018, when the glorious weather was just beginning to fade, I mentally waved a fond farewell to the characters from A Fine Life and took solace in writing something afresh. When I say afresh, it was a piece I had started in January 2018 and duly put on the back burner.
I delicately picked up where I had left off 7 months earlier, scoring through most of what I had written.
What I had left were 4 characters in a sunny destination. I liked them and thought I had a story to tell. And so, I plodded on tinkering and playing with them.
Writing is a solitary affair so when WriteForTheStage offered a Progressing course in October 2018, I signed up. Now I had mental deadlines with our weekly online sessions and an opportunity for my work to be read aloud.
Scene 1 was read out and it wasn’t right. I was disappointed but it wasn’t the right story - I knew that much - and after a few days mulling, I ditched my protagonist. I left her at home while the other 3 enjoyed the sunshine. The story was shaping up at last!
Over the next 4 months I journeyed with them on their roller coaster holiday and WFTS helped me to move from one scene to the next.
By March 2019, I had finished the script and Development Week loomed. I made a mental bet with myself. If the feedback is more than 70% positive, I will put it on at 2019 Fringe. If less I will wait until 2020.
It went well with lots of very useful comments for the next draft. I was committed to the Fringe 2019, and in the process, I had found a suitable title for my piece A Touch of Magic.
I was re-energised, and I applied for Arts Council funding and set the ball in motion looking for a director and actors. I wrote to scores of companies for sponsorship. The rejection letters didn’t really knock me back – A Touch of Magic was going ahead whatever.
And so here we are - June 2019 - in the midst of rehearsals, with a lovely cast and superb director.
Two days ago, I got an email saying I’d been awarded Arts Council funding. Myself and
the cast are overjoyed. Maybe magic really is real after all!
A Touch Of Magic, by Anne Wynne, is being performed at The Kings Arms Theatre on Tues 2nd, Wed 3rd, and Thurs 4th July, 7pm, and at The Met, Bury on Thurs 11th July, as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival.
Click here for tickets.
(Blog written by Anne Wynne)
