Join the Zeitgeist

Just a very quick post from me as time is precious/short/ticking by [delete as you feel appropriate] and deadlines for a million and one things are snapping at my heels.

The following has been brought to my attention & is worth further investigation if you fancy turning your scriberly (wtf?) hand to a bit of theatre writing.  These guys describe themselves as, "staging topical, new writing that's relevant to modern times".  I don't have any affiliation with them - it was just something passed on to me, so please check out all their credentials for yourself.  For further information, their website is www.zeitgeisttheatre.com

WRITING OPPORTUNITIES:
1/ THEATRE GRAND-SLAM
Seeking short, sharp and witty theatre plays for a popular and unique event in South London. Scripts must not be more than eight minutes long, require no more than five actors and have very basic lighting/sound/set requirements. The emphasis is on originality, variety and entertainment. Please send script or scripts with a short writer biog to info@zeitgeisttheatre.com 

PLEASE NOTE:
ALL writers must be based in or around London and able to attend the late-August. DEADLINE: 21st July 2008

2/ SHORT PLAY COMPETITION:
A rare opportunity for writers with none or few credits to have work staged alongside more established writers. Plays must be one-act long, no more than twenty minutes and on a current theme/political issue. There is a £6 entry/reading fee for this. Scripts, fee and a short biog to be sent to: NEW PLAY COMPETITION, UNIT 12, IMPERIAL WORKS, FOUNTAYNE ROAD, LONDON N15 4QL.  Deadline: end of July. Payment to: Zeitgeist Theatre.

Good luck if you go for it!  That's all from me just now.

Laters.

Rantings & Ratings

Here's a little something from "Variety" this week - I found it mildly amusing.

"WRITER-PERFORMERS STAGE BALANCING ACTS
Hyphenates add fresh take to genres

In Britain, where a "season" of a show might easily be six carefully crafted episodes, it's commonplace to see a Ricky Gervais write every script and star in every episode. American TV, though, with its 20-plus episode seasons, has long adopted a tidy assembly-line approach: Writers work in the writers' room, actors on the set."

The report then carries on to state there is a whole new clutch of writer-performers in the U.S. battling away the hours both on set and in the writers' room - but the general worry is the length of day they work esentially doing two jobs...although, the outcome is proving good, regardless.

Well, after years of us being successful multi-talented multi-taskers, I am sure once the U.S. have got the hang of the UK-style, they'll be fine. Bless.

Other things to have caught my attention this week, other than the fact The Kid hasn't made an appearance yet?

I see the Ch4 documentary on Diana failed abysmally in it's 'mass ratings coup'. Whilst 6.2 million watched Surallan do his stuff on "The Apprentice", 3.8 million tuned in to watch "Diana - the Witness in the Tunnel" - not too bad, but I bet they were hoping for more - and they only received 2000 complaints - most of which were received before the programme went to air. That makes it alright then.

Did anyone really believe the documentary was going to reveal the real truth behind it all? Guys, there are some things we will never know. Ever. End of. And you can take that as you read it - conspiratorial, fait a complis, whichever.

And finally, last night's "Big Brother" managed to convince 4.6m to tune in to see the much publicised racist slur. What more can I say?

Pass me that self-labotomy kit - or a ticket to the U.S.