Lighthouse is proud to support the first national Playwrights Flashmob on Tuesday 2 July alongside some of the best-known theatres in the country including the Royal Court Theatre, London; Tramshed, London; Royal Exchange, Manchester; Leeds Playhouse; Hull Truck; Battersea Arts Centre; Liverpool Everyman; Theatre Royal, Brighton and Bristol Old Vic.
Playwrights Flashmob will be unlike any other flashmob in that the participants do not sing and dance, they write and chat.
On Tuesday 2 July, between 11am and 2pm, small teams of playwrights (and other theatre artists) will be stationed at theatre cafes, bars or foyers, all over the country. They will be hosts, ready to welcome other playwrights who would like to come and chat, or simply work.
The idea is for playwrights to make connections and kick isolation into touch.
In a statement, organisers said: “We want to talk about what we’re working on and cook up ideas for a better future. We just want to lurk and write knowing others are writing too.”
One of the biggest challenges facing playwrights today is a sense that doors are closed to them and they don’t know who to approach at their local theatre. This is an opportunity to meet other local playwrights in a relaxed and informal way, and make contact with the Creative Engagement team at Lighthouse.
Charles Shenton, Creative Engagement Producer at Lighthouse, said: “Playwrights Flashmob is such a great idea and Lighthouse is delighted to play a part. Writing for the stage can be a long and often lonely process, so for playwrights to be able to come along to Lighthouse, stay as long as they want, and meet other writers who are all in the same boat, reminds them they’re not the only ones.”
An online version of Playwrights Flashmob is being run by Paines Plough theatre company with registration open now at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpc-ihrjwpH9eHmh8BNTygsDVyU9e_55b-#/registration
Playwrights Flashmob is an initiative born from Support Playwrights, a group of established theatre artists keen to support emerging playwrights in these tough times.
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