Calling all budding local playwrights!  Are you aged 16+ and from the North West of Ireland?  Have you ever dreamed of seeing your own play performed on the Millennium Forum stage?  Well, this is your chance to realise your dreams as the Millennium Forum has just announced details of a brand new project that will help make your dream a reality!

Aimed at giving local prospective writers a unique opportunity to develop their own ideas and script for the stage, this exciting two-year project led by the Millennium Forum will see upcoming local playwrights work alongside Brian Foster, one of the leading playwrights in Ireland, whose work has performed to standing ovations not only at the Forum, but worldwide, including performances in New York, the prestigious Edinburgh Festival and the West End.  Towards the end of the project, one final script will be chosen which will then be professionally produced by Millennium Forum Productions for performances that will be staged as part of the theatre’s 25th anniversary celebrations in 2026.

David McLaughlin, Chief Executive of the Millennium Forum, is delighted to be launching the project.  He says:
“This major artistic development scheme, led by the Millennium Forum and supported  generously by acclaimed playwright, Brian Foster, aims to encourage and develop the next generation of new writers throughout the city and region.  In keeping with our commitment to nurturing new talent within the Arts, we hope that this project will maintain cultural vibrancy throughout the city for the next 25 years and, in the short term, grow meaningful relationships with local artists for the benefit of everyone involved. We can’t wait to get started!”

Brian Foster added:
“I’m delighted to be involved in this amazing opportunity for a writer from the northwest to have their play perform in a production on the big stage of Derry’s fabulous Millennium Forum. I will happily bring my thirty plus years of experience writing for theatre, including making it to London’s West End, to the fore in personally mentoring those who make the shortlist. Then helping the winner fine-tune their script all the way to rehearsal. And with a £3000 winner’s prize, plus box office royalties paid, plus us bringing in a professional director and cast, this should attract writers of all levels, whether with only limited previous experience or complete first timers.  So get writing folks. This is the chance to make that wee dream of yours come true!”

So, do you think you’ve got what it takes?  Expressions of interest are now being taken.   Anyone interested in taking part in the project must submit an A4 page synopsis of their original play along with the first six pages of script to magsc@millenniumforum.co.uk no later than 5pm on 18 Oct 2024. Successful applicants will be selected and will then meet on a regular basis, working with Brian Foster for approximately 6-8 months. As the development programme evolves, a panel of experts, led by Brian, will select one writer to work with further and more intensely throughout the latter part of 2025, resulting in a professional main stage production at the Millennium Forum in 2026.  The successful writer will also be awarded a commission of £3,000 to assist with the final development of the piece.

For more information on the project, contact Mags Anderson at the Millennium Forum, on 02871 272776 or email magsc@millenniumforum.co.uk. An Open Day will also be held in the Millennium Forum on Thursday 12th September from 12noon-2pm for an opportunity to speak to Brian Foster in more detail about the project.

Click here for more info.