About us...
Islands Playwrights' main goal is to develop, encourage and inspire playwrights living on Vancouver Island and surrounding islands. We promote writing for the stage while raising public awareness for the theatre.
Island Playwrights and James Bay New Horizons Society are now in the planning stages of their 1st Island Monologue Festival to be held in Victoria BC on September 15-16, 2023. Script submissions were open to writers living at least part-time on Vancouver Island and surrounding archipelagoes off the west coast of Canada, as well as the San Juans and other islands in the US Pacific Northwest. Watch this space for further details, or see https://www.facebook.com/IslandPlaywrights.
Scene and Heard
Since 2013 we have offered public readings entitled Scene & Heard where experienced actors read excerpts from new plays. The idea is to give local writers an opportunity to hear their plays' characters. This may inspire new ideas, help them polish dialogue or simply provide motivation to complete a work-in-progress. These are free events and comments from the audience are encouraged.
Scene & Heard events are invaluable to the writing and revision process in the early stages of playwriting. You bring pages to be read out loud by others, hear your scene come to life, find out how well it is working or not working, and get immediate feedback from peers and audience alike. No submission fees, no committees, no judgements. So don't be shy, send in your work. It'll be sure to help you improve your work.
We encourage playwrights of all experience levels and styles to attend a reading to see how the process works, to hear plays by fellow writers, and to help others with constructive criticism.
HOW IT WORKS
About 15 minutes before the event, actors chosen by the event coordinator will briefly meet with the playwrights. The sequence of plays will be announced by the MC, and the actors will read the scene in front of an audience. Playwrights shall not read their own work. After each reading, there will be up to ten minutes of audience feedback; anyone may comment on what they have heard, emphasizing the strengths and possibilities but also make suggestions for improving the play.
NOTE:
If you are an experienced actor and like to sign up for an afternoon of public readings (and a credit for your CV) please contact us at [email protected]
Scene & Heard events are invaluable to the writing and revision process in the early stages of playwriting. You bring pages to be read out loud by others, hear your scene come to life, find out how well it is working or not working, and get immediate feedback from peers and audience alike. No submission fees, no committees, no judgements. So don't be shy, send in your work. It'll be sure to help you improve your work.
We encourage playwrights of all experience levels and styles to attend a reading to see how the process works, to hear plays by fellow writers, and to help others with constructive criticism.
- Scene & Heard events usually occur two or three times a year in Victoria BC. They are free for everyone to attend and to contribute comments and suggestions. Donations are of course welcome; they go toward paying for room rental.
- Playwrights need to reserve a spot and submit their scene(s) by the deadline posted on the homepage if they wish to have a scene reading. That way we can round up the necessary actors. As we don't have a budget for photocopying, playwrights must provide their own script copies — one for each character appearing in the scene(s) to be read.
Please print only on one side of the paper.
HOW IT WORKS
About 15 minutes before the event, actors chosen by the event coordinator will briefly meet with the playwrights. The sequence of plays will be announced by the MC, and the actors will read the scene in front of an audience. Playwrights shall not read their own work. After each reading, there will be up to ten minutes of audience feedback; anyone may comment on what they have heard, emphasizing the strengths and possibilities but also make suggestions for improving the play.
NOTE:
If you are an experienced actor and like to sign up for an afternoon of public readings (and a credit for your CV) please contact us at [email protected]