National Theatre's Connections 2012

Hilary says:
One of my playwriting highlights last year was an invitation from London's National Theatre to write a play for young actors, aged 13-19, for their Connections 2012 programme. My contribution is 'Victim Sidekick Boyfriend Me'.

I went over last November for the Directors' Weekend, during which the writer works with a National-appointed director and all the directors from around the country who have selected that particular play.
Also present in the workshop are actors from the National Youth Theatre. Director Deborah Bruce led a detailed excavation of the play, throwing open possibilities as to where it might go. What a gift, as a writer, to have twenty directors bringing to bear their own interpretations, along with the specific requirements and abilities of their actors, on one's script.

One production of each of the plays commissioned from around the world - there are ten all up - will be selected for performance at the National in June. As I type this, there are 20 productions of 'Victim Sidekick' currently underway around the UK. And now the ten plays are available in an anthology.

Find out more about the book here.

And more about Connections 2012 here.

Playground Duty

 So, its off and running and so am I! Wonderful launch in Sydney following a chat with Richard Glover on ABC 702. A room full of friends, ex colleagues and ex students gave Playground Duty a great send off.
 But now the work begins. I know. I thought I'd done the work but like Mr Polly in The History of Mr Polly I am wearing out shoe leather (runners actually) going from bookshop to bookshop in search of my book. It's been an education. A steep learning curve. The thing I've VERY quickly discovered is that if I don't go from bookshop to bookshop then no-one will know Playground Duty exists. It's not like the theatre where the company promotes your play. In this world you promote your book. On your own.
 I was lucky to have an interview with Jon Faine on The Conversation Hour (@774 Melbourne). He was awesome and so nice about the book. I left the interview full of confidence and headed off to check out the bookshops. It started well. The Hill of Content had it prominently displayed and asked me to sign some copies. Same at Dymocks and The Reading Room. I had a list of new shops to visit so cycled off to Coventry Street Bookshop.
"Do you have a copy of Playground Duty?'
"No."
"I'm the writer."
"So?"
"Oh, well one of the people at another bookshop suggested..."
She looked pained.
"I thought...he said...you like writers to drop in and..."
"Its not preferred."
"Pardon?"
"Writers are always coming in."
She rolled her eyes.
I thought of replying but decided against it. Fancy, writers going to bookshops! Weird. I was more bemused than chastened. Fortunately the folk at Avenue Books were way more friendly. But I can see it's not going to be all beer and skittles.
That's what I mean by saying I thought I'd done the work. The writing is only the beginning!

Southpaw: Writing from the Global South

Southpaw is a new literary journal of writing from the global south. It is dedicated to the idea of 'south-south' dialogue: to conversations between writers, artists and readers about life away from the metropolitan centres of power and culture. This literary left hook from the south features fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, essays, reviews and images.

Southpaw issue 1 is focused through the theme of displacement. Writers from South Africa, Indigenous Australia, Philippines, Colombia, Suriname, Angola, Indigenous Japan, China, the Horn of Africa, Tunisia, New Zealand and non-indigenous Australia write fascinating stories and reflect on home and eviction, migration and asylum seeking, cultural diplomacy and political oppression, cross cultural dealings and cultural reclamation.

Donna has a piece in this exciting new publication. The website is still under construction www.southernperspectives.net but enquires can be sent to alicaddick@hotmail.com or Southpaw 12 Mark Street North Fitzroy VIC Australia 3068.