Playwrights Gather! Questions raised included:What is a playwright and what can they be?It is a legitimate career in its own rightIt's doing the thingIt's who you knowIt's producing your ownDon't make blanket rules - just do it!What are people writing at the moment? How do you write?'Issue' playsVisually impaired characters Conversations play in my head. Then grows outwardsThe obligation to care for the older generation [suggestion to look at Lucy Kirkwood's play 'Children']Sorting table in a charity shop - female spaceWomen's boat race as a musicalPowerlessness and feeling stuckDementia, Alzheimer's, race and classDissection of female bodyDiverse stories, social justiceTeenage girls in Scotland. Never seen an empowered, curious, vibrant teenage girl on stage. They're so often victims.Big cast stuff for young people with flexibility in stagingFeminist dad raising strong girlsReligion, sexuality, genderUnresolved conflict in a family - esp African Caribbean communities which these communities don't want the outside world to see. Quite cathartic doing cross-cultural work Work with children using sensory, play, masks, musicTell stories of historic Black British folkStart from a big question - political - big ideas to humansThe overcoming of adversityRewriting modern-day telling of A Christmas CarolChallenges?Differences in regions - London has lots of opportunities. Not all of them are always accessible.Full time work often prevents you from doing all you need to.Need an informal collectiveIf something is holding you back (socially) theatre's are often keen to work with youConsiderably more applications by men are sent for opportunities - internal monologue women might have that stops them sending in workZeitgeist for certain playsA theatre might not be able to hold your handSolicited work versus unsolicited workHard to find actors over 30 or BAME actors for a short play night (especially in the regions)Issues over 'colour blind' casting - there's a reason for writing a person as female, Black, South Asian etcIssues with pigeon-holing and wanting to be mainstreamAfraid of being ideologically attacked for holding a particular point of viewCultural appropriation - who has the right to tell a story? who's story should you be telling? Thought research is important one person cannot be representative of a whole community. Help and support*David Lane's list - £30 for the year for one email a week full of writing opportunities and theatre news. http://www.davidjohnlane.com/ *Dramaturge's Network - run by Gareth Morgan https://www.6016.co.uk/what-i-do*Rapid write Response - run by Theatre 503 (Battersea, south London) https://theatre503.com/writers/rapid-write-response/*Graeae - http://graeae.org/*Soho Theatre Writers https://sohotheatre.com/whats-on/#new-writing*Writers & Artist Yearbook https://www.writersandartists.co.uk* Paptango - new writing prize which provides feedback for all submissions http://papatango.co.uk/* Blue Elephant Theatre (Camberwell, south east London)TipsLiterary departments want your work. They expect submissions. However, everyone is at capacity.Confident email when sending submissionsFinborough Theatre don't want plays about 20 somethings living in LondonDon't be discouragedChallenge yourself and what other people say about youBeware the echo chamber - makes you smug, arrogant. You need to see the humanity in those with opposing views. Good to make yourself uncomfortable.A good dramaturge will help you prepare - brig people into a project earlyFind people who you click with.Read plays by communities you are wishing to right aboutRead plays - maybe form a play book groupWriting Groups can be usefulTheatre 503 Playwriting Award open from 1 Feb - 31 MarchLook out forHappiness Limited at the New Diorama - February 2018 Conquest at the Vault Festival (London) - 20 -25 Feb 2018A play about whiteness (part of Starting Blocks) at Camden People's Theatre 17 March 2018Serephima Cussack, Sophia Loiner, John O'Donovan