WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS IN GALWAY

The 4th. International Women Playwrights Conference was held at University College Galway and brought together writers, producers, directors, actors and academics from 22 different countries. Over 85 plays were presented in performance, workshop, or readings and there were wide-ranging discussions of writing by women and the problems of getting plays by women produced.

The work presented was of an extremely high standard, and the subject matter very wide-ranging. For example there were plays about the cultural and social dilemmas encountered over several generations by immigrants, the lives of women involved in the troubles in Northern Ireland, about women dealing with cancer, the lives of women in an historical context and plays about personal relationships but with universally identifiable dilemmas.

The quality and the range of work presented was truly impressive and offered a very wide cultural perspective.

Keynote speakers at the forums included the well known writer, Margaretta dArcy, Kathy McArdle from the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, who highlighted the fact that women playwrights are less assertive in promoting their work and are having less work performed, and the USA agent Peregrine Whittersley, who offered an extremely well-thought out, informed, and pragmatic view of the situation for women playwrights both in the USA and internationally.

Jenny Eastop had been invited to be the sole UK voluntary facilitator at the conference and Liz Wainwright was invited to represent the UK in the video report compiled at the conference and hopes to submit a video of her play for this purpose.

In spite of considerable administrative difficulties, some of which were overcome, but only through the generosity and abilities of the delegates, the experience was very worthwhile, and many useful contacts were made with theatre professionals, writers organisations, journalists and academics working in theatre studies.

The big question which arose throughout the conference was: Why can't we go into theatres and see this work which have enjoyed and admired so much here?

The Workshop:

Having my play Mixed Company chosen for a workshop production at the Conference was both exciting and daunting; especially because it was the first opportunity for Jenny Eastop, the director, and myself to see how an audience would react.

And did they react! - they laughed even more than expected (particularly the male members of the audience) they applauded loudly , and they joined in. What more could we have wished for? And it wasn't in the most ideal of circumstances either - a bare room, no lighting, no props and a potentially very critical audience - its pretty scary, the prospect of having your work submitted to the comments of professors of theatre, artistic directors, directors, writers, actors and an agent from the USA - they were all in there.

It was only thanks to Jenny Eastop's skill and determination, that three talented actresses were found, and under her guidance gave an excellent reading.

They were Carol McGuigan, a writer and actress from Newcastle, Jane Liddiard from Hertfordshire and Sheila Hannon, the artistic director of Show of Strength Theatre Company, (who has asked for a copy of the play)

Following the workshop, and during the rest of the conference many delegates approached Jenny and me, and Jackie as Yorkshire Playwrights Chair, to say how special they thought the play was and how much they had enjoyed it.

As all Yorkshire Playwrights know, its not easy to find the courage to approach artistic directors etc with your play.

I first mentioned Mixed Company to Jenny when I met her as a result of a previous Yorkshire Playwrights initiative. We've always believed very strongly in the play, but to get letters afterwards with comments like It is a very strong piece on lots of levels. The moment with Viv . . . . is very powerful and a great dramatic moment that just shifts the play right up a gear and takes it somewhere very rarely, if ever, visited gives you all the confidence and courage you need to go out and look for a production.

Since the workshop there has been a great deal of interest from theatres in the UK, and an artistic director from Chicago, who was present at the workshop, has asked for a copy of the play as she thinks it would go down well the USA and Canada.

We're very grateful for the support from Yorkshire Playwrights in helping to fund our attendance at the Conference, and especially to Patrick O'Sullivan who has worked so hard to raise YP's international funding.

The workshop has put Yorkshire Playwrights even more on the international scene - I was invited to represent the UK in the video report compiled at the conference and hope to submit a video of the excerpt from Mixed Company for this.

Also both Jenny and I have been interviewed for a theatre magazine in San Francisco - could this be the venue for the next Yorkshire Playwrights exchange programme? Thanks again YP!

(c) Liz Wainwright (writer) & Jenny Eastop (director)