"A new Channel 4 reality show in the style of Operatunity and Musicality will seek out plays by new British playwrights. The winner of The Play's The Thing will see his or her work staged in London's West End in spring 2006. West End producer Sonia Friedman is to head a panel of theatre experts who will whittle submissions down to a shortlist of three."
In the T&C's, and elsewhere on this Forum, it's stated "that the Company shall be entitled to (and is hereby licensed to) include PARTS of the Submission (and/or adaptations thereof) in any format in the Programme" (my capitals) - and I suspect it's highly unlikely they're going to film all 3 Submissions in full!
Press coverage has also suggested that "Novice playwrights are invited to submit scripts, which will be whittled down by Ms Friedman, an agent and a director" - so it looks like their call!
It goes on "The series will follow the winning writer as he or she develops the play, and go behind the scenes as the production is prepared from raising the investment to opening night." - so it looks like a 'Faking It' type of scenario (or did you see Operatunity or Musicality? that sort of thing.
By the way - you haven't got a brother or sister called Scape who you always used to blame for everything as a child?!
Well, in various articles they've said that decision-crunch time is October 1 2005; the winner will have a 3 month run West End stage play in Spring 2006; and that as it's a dual tv/stage event, the coverage of the former will create an audience for the latter (which is actually quite a cute marketing idea with which, Mr & Mrs Production Team, you should be quite rightly proud!)
They'd want that feed - Screenstage Productions is a joint venture with the Ambassador Theatre Group (so guess in whose WE theatre the play will most likely be staged?), so I'd guess that filming will have to be Jan to March sometime!
This is effectively a reality TV show. But as so far, I haven’t been able to work out how many episodes it’s going to run over.
Regardless of the number of episodes in the run, they are going to need the playwright on screen as soon as possible – as while the people selecting the play will be interesting, they are not going to be the people the audience will empathise with (Mr & Mrs Jones don’t tend to determine the budget for a West End Production, but may harbour the desire to write something).
If this is a short run (say 4 to 6 episodes), I can see it running with three in the short list (giving the audience a chance to ‘know’ the playwrights, and make their minds up who they are going to support).
If it’s a longer run (6 to 10 episodes) I would take a guess at about 10 on the shortlist, so we can see the rough and tumble, and serious fiscal stakes of the theatre business (e.g. get the no-hoper with the personality disorder that everyone hates thrown out early – then play on the idiosyncrasies of the remaining playwrights until we end up with the ‘nicest bloke/lass’ with the best story making it to the end’.
Now if that sounds like I’m being harsh – please realise that not only is this a competition about the quality of your writing, but it’s going to be a TV show. And the reality of the UK television market is: there’s only going to be an audience if there is conflict (exactly the same premise as you write your plays by) else, why would anyone watch it…? (Would anyone watch Wife Swap/Holiday Showdown if the people got on?)
If I hade to take a guess (for a 10 episode run), I’d go for 20 people shortlisted and placed in front of panel, of whom the audience will only really see 12 in the first episode… By the end of that episode we’d end up with 10 making it through to the ‘next round’ and witness the rejection of 2 in close up. The next few weeks, we’ll see one or two rejected a week to culminate with the final three fighting it out over the last three episodes (all interspersed with actors, producers, directors and agents making their views of the quality of the writing/genre/subject matter)…
Crikey! Maybe I’ve been thinking about this too much!
Best of luck all (and I’m watching Big Brother for tips, just in case I make it through to the initial shortlist!)
Good luck! Still want to meet your sibling Scape ...
Hi Jay
An interesting thread going here!
Let's get back to basics. This is described as a reality show, not a competition. Faking It only had one 'entrant' per episode; Operatunity and Musicality only threw up 4 'stars'.
From what I've seen and read, this is a 'how does a WE play get done' reality show - planning, financing, casting, blocking, rehearsals, publicity, set build, dress, tech, opening night ... we is just a pawn (albeit, we hope, an interesting one). And Screenstage is part-owned by The Ambassador Theatre Group - they want a financially successful show out of it! What's the title? "The Play's The Thing" - Not "Punt For a Playwright"! That's the whole point of the tv show (I think) - that a successful play can be a successful play even if you're not Pinter, a Wesker or a TrembleTrident!
All the pre-publicity I've scanned suggest a max of 3 playwrights in the first prog (so that's you, Caledon and Seagoat, obviously) - surely you can't have "the final three (writers) fighting it out over the last three episodes", as one of the aims is for the tv prog to create audiences for the WE show - allowing for scheduling, casting, rehearsal etc, the 'end' of the tv show has to be very close to the WE Opening Night for the one to fuel the other?!
Anyone care to add their ten penn'orth - especially the Production Team?
Sorry - hit 'Post Now by mistake! Last bit should have read;
By the way - have you considered that 'they' know who we are!
May I just say that I retract fully, openly and without hesitation any comment I may have made on this Forum which may have offended the Production Team - and that Sonia Friedman is a wonderful, fantastically talanted Director and a beautiful, warm-hearted woman!
The paranoia is really kicking in for you isn’t it (<i>just don let on you’ve been thinking the same thing for the last couple of weeks</i>
I like your thinking on how you think the show <i>could</i> pan out… especially the thing about the title of the show… but I still can’t see how the conflict will come in.
Jan Younghusband (sorry, can’t find the link at the moment) did say that this would be a ‘controversial’ program and would ‘stir up’ debate…
Unless they play on the success and failure of the individual playwrights… I can’t see how this could be a achieved…
But then again, you’re our advertising guru… what’s your take given Jan’s comments?
"Paranoia"? What do you mean "paranoia"? What have you seen in my Forum entries that I haven't? What have I said? Has anyone else noticed? Oh, God ...
The 'controversial' element could, of course, just be the lambasting, ridicule, public humiliation and derision the 'winning' amateur playwright will inevitably get from the writing community, the cast, crew and critics, broadcast on national television, covered in every newspaper, discussed in every pub, on every street corner and dry-dock in the country.
Like I say - I'm sure you, Caledon and Seagoat will make great televisual history ...
Anyway, AdMen always win, whether you buy the product or not; didn't you know that?! Otherwise you'd never have had brilliant, classsic ads like You've Been Tango'd.
