The Write Now Festival
The Festival began at the Jack in 2010 and ran for six successive years.
Under the artistic direction of Kate Bannister, the Write Now festival has been an essential part of the Jack Studio Theatre’s yearly programme, which each year finds and produces the most exciting and significant work of emerging writers.
The full-length play is chosen from submissions of previously unperformed plays from writers who have a connection to southeast London. We are passionate about producing plays that engage with how we live today and the Festival brought to life many bold new voices and stories that engaged with and reflected contemporary culture and society.
Alongside our full production, we run writing workshops, and post-show discussions and each year we launch the festival with the performance of ten minute plays on a given theme.
Press Responses to the Write Now Festival
While London is blessed with an abundance of mainstream theatres and fringe theatre venues, there are arguably only a few venues in London that in conjunction with hosting plays and scratch nights, have a fully developed programme for the nurturing of playwrights’ work – and the Jack Studio Theatre is one of them. Female Arts
David Weir’s intelligent and witty play could not be more timely… Sensitively directed by Kate Bannister, the exceptional cast portray Weir’s rich characters with conviction and humour. Ensemble work at its best. UK Theatre Network
The Jack Studio’s Write Now Festival celebrates the diversity and energy of south east London’s emerging playwrights. Writer Olga Braga explores the turmoil of confused identity, dramatising the problem of artificially constructed boundaries and social categories in a progressively diversifying world. Nikora has a talent to inject fire and emotion into every line that engages the audience tirelessly holding their attention until the very last. 90 minutes straight through, and not once did it falter. The Upcoming.
The Jack is to be applauded for the high standard of writing that emerges from its Write Now initiative, and this year especially for its compilation of plays which would struggle to be more varied in their approach to leadership. Write Now Shorts. British Theatre Guide
The Jack’s commitment to giving a platform to exciting new work under the artistic direction of Kate Bannister cannot be ignored. Pool is one of a number of pieces of new writing in the theatre’s Write Now Festival. It is everything Fringe theatre can achieve and more. PostScript Journal
McGrath’s inspired writing fleshes out believable characters and mines the dramatic wealth from coming to terms with the past. It deserves to be seen by as big an audience as possible. Female Arts
The show is compelling simply for the double virtue of it being excellently written and well-cast. The entire team of No Rhyme is to be congratulated on an excellent production. A Younger Theatre
I would truly recommend you to go and see it. The music was spectacular, the acting was amazing, the storyline had the audience captured from start to finish. Definitely make time to go and see this before it finishes. Remotegoat
The Jack must be commended for its dedication to new writing… its distinctive programmes and intimate space offer rare opportunity for local talent to thrive. And with Emoticon, thrive it certainly did. The Gay Stage
