In the past we have occasionally offered script appraisal (of full length and one-act plays) to writers who have attended a Write Theatre course. Several of those writers who have made use of this service have gone on to get those plays produced.
We are now also offering this service to writers who have not attended a Write Theatre course.
How it works
You send us a play or an extract from a play. One of us reads the material you send us and offers detailed specific comments and overall suggestions as to how you might improve and develop the play. If you have specific questions about the play, you should include those in your accompanying email.
How much it costs
The fee we charge is at a rate of £40 per hour of our time. For example, if the material you send would run at about 80 minutes (80 pages using standard layout), that would probably be three hours work, so there’d be a charge of £120. We will ask for £50 in advance for a full length script, £25 in advance for an extract or a shorter play. We will then invoice for the balance due with the return of the playscript and our comments / suggestions.
Mentoring
We are now also offering a mentoring service. This will be tailored to the needs of individuals, but would include feedback on several drafts of a script and telephone tutorials as requested and as appropriate. It would normally only be something we offer to people who have worked with us before – whether on a course or through script appraisal – but if you have a specific proposal, please contact us. We make no charge for discussing how the mentoring might work for you.
————————
If you are interested in making use of these services, please contact us at theatrewriting@gmail.com BEFORE you send in any written material with a description of what you plan to send and a brief account of your own previous writing experience.
If you would like to discuss the possibility of a mentoring arrangement, please include a phone number.
TESTIMONIALS
from writers who have used our script appraisal and mentoring services
‘Brian Woolland is a true teacher and man of the theatre who understands the challenges facing an emerging playwright. Brian sees what you’re trying to do and helps you get there, not by telling you what to do but by enabling you to see your own direction more clearly. His responses to my scripts are generous, sensitive and thorough; they have always opened new doors and a bonus is they reach well beyond the actual text I asked him to look at.’ Marina Jenkyns
Marina’s play, Sea Changes, was produced in 2019 at the Camden Fringe Festival, and revived in Oxford later in the year.
‘Rib provided me with dramaturgical advice when I was working on my first play, written for a large community cast. For a writer starting out, it is one thing to work on the different elements of a script in isolation, but quite another to wrestle the whole thing into an effective shape. Rib took my first draft and provided incredibly helpful suggestions on the overall structure. He gave me valuable insights into the characters I’d created which helped me edit the dialogue to make it more effective. I knew that because of his experience he would understand the challenges of writing for an amateur cast, and his suggestions on how to bring the script alive helped me to ensure it would translate well to the stage. His pointers are still useful to me now.’ Poppy Hollman
Poppy’s play, A Dog’s Tale, was scheduled for production and touring by Mikron Theatre in 2020. The production has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
‘I have highly valued Brian’s always thoughtful and incisive comments on the drafts of my first play. He is a careful, patient reader, thinks of novel angles and ideas, and is always frank and honest in his opinions without discouraging a rookie playwright like myself. I grew in confidence and benefited hugely from his input.’ Orlando Figes
Orlando’s play, The Sinecure, is scheduled for production at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London, within a year of the reopening of theatres.
‘The help that Rib gave me on my draft was absolutely invaluable. He immediately understood what I was trying to do and showed me how to do it better, without losing the key elements that mattered most to me. He was a real pleasure to work with and contributed enormously to the rewarding experience of creating a piece of work that I could be proud of.’ Robin Lustig
‘I have received invaluable detailed and constructive feedback and commentary on three scripts from Brian Woolland over the last two years without which I would not have been able to progress the plays to the level they are now and my understanding of playwriting has deepened exponentially from the process.’ Rachael O’Connor
Rachael’s play I’m Not Here was given a rehearsed reading at The Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 2019.
WRITE THEATRE playwriting courses in London 