The Jack Studio continues to support new writing south of the river with its Write Now Festival in its fifth year.
A full production of new play Pool by Tom Harvey is at the core of this year's Festival.
Directed by the venue's artistic director Kate Bannister, the play has been selected from the 250 submissions of new work by writers with a connection with south–east London.
Writer Tom Harvey is a creative entrepreneur and writer. He has executive produced five feature films, and in the past run Northern Film & Media. Pool is Harvey's first play, a comedy set the morning after New Labour’s victory in 1997. Things Can Only Get Better, except for a group of pool attendants…
As part of the Write Now events, two other plays receive staged readings. These are Botticelli’s Angels by Gemma Mills McGrath and Box Chicken by Max Katz.
In Botticelli’s Angels, Gemma Mills McGrath explores how the power of human connection helps people find a future from the debris of the past through Frank, who seeks compensation for the damage that he and his magician brother Johnny suffered as children.
At the centre of Box Chicken is Ailleen who is about to turn sixteen. When Uncle Silco unexpectedly returns, her birthday party descends into shocking revelations and dangerous half-truths.
There is also an evening of short plays Shorts: Speak Up, Speak Out. Each looking at an aspect of saying something when others won’t, the shorts are by Chris Shaw Swanson, Martin Nathan, Andrew Biss, Matt Hanf, Zia Moher, Jessica Andrewartha and Nick Myles.
The submissions to Write Now 5 were read by a panel consisting of Kate Bannister, playwright Lin Coghlan (National Theatre, Eastenders, Soho Theatre), Franko Figueiredo (Artistic Director, Stone Crabs), and Simon James Collier (producer of the award winning Okai Collier Company), with additional support given by the BBC writersroom.
Pool and Botticelli’s Angels are suitable for over 14s. Box Chicken and Shorts: Speak Up, Speak Out are suitable for over 16s.
The Write Now Festival runs from 17 May to 7 June at the Jack Studio.