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Press Releases
Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service and British Council launch global search for new playwriting talent with Minghella drama
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On Saturday Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service, in partnership with the British Council, launches the 11th International Radio Playwriting Competition with the award-winning Cigarettes And Chocolate by the late writer and film director Anthony Minghella.
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The competition invites writers around the world to submit a one-hour radio play on any subject. They have five months to do so.
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The winning entries will be broadcast on Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service in November 2009.
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There are two first prizes: one for writers for whom English is a first language, the other for those with English as a second language.
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The competition is unique in that it is only open to writers outside the UK.
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The winners – last year's were from Nigeria and Canada – also receive a trip to London to see their play recorded.
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The competition never fails to elicit an impressive response. Last year, more than 1,200 entries were received, from Alaska to Vanuatu.
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Entries are just as likely to come from established authors as from writers who are totally inexperienced.
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Former winners have gone on to gain further commissions for Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service Drama, making the competition a potential launch-pad to a future career.
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Actor, singer and writer Kwame Kwei-Armah, currently writer in residence for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Drama, is one of the judges.
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Marion Nancarrow, Executive Producer of Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Drama, says: "This is the only competition of its kind in the world – it is at the heart of what Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Drama does.
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"It's about hearing new, different stories and voices and is a reminder of what a fantastic medium radio drama is – one of the most powerful and accessible ways to tell a story.
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"All over the world radio dramas are being recorded and writers learning their craft – from Afghanistan to Africa.
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"Radio drama is a renowned route for writers – Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Joe Orton and Anthony Minghella (whose Cigarettes And Chocolate won a Giles Cooper Radio Award) are among those premier British writers whose first writing was for radio."
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Sally Cowling, Director, Drama and Dance, British Council, says:
"We're delighted to be partnering with the Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service on this project again this year.
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"There is a wealth of talent out there and this competition offers a unique opportunity to hear from new and established writers from all over the world.
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"Our global writing workshops create a platform for writers to share their ideas, develop their skills and learn to work with the powerful medium of radio."
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More information, including entry forms, can be found at bbcworldservice.com/radioplay and from British Council offices around the world.
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Notes to Editors
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 Scripts are not forgotten. A young woman writing from Bangladesh reached the shortlist, but didn't win because her play was too short. However, she was contacted by World Service Drama and invited to attend a Radio Drama Writing Residency for second language writers. She replied: "I have never believed that dreams really do come true," and has just been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to do an MA in English literature from Temple University, Philadelphia.
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A previous winner from South Africa was commissioned to write a second play for Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service. He took to heart the comments of one of the leading actors in his first play who had observed that her part was smaller than the other actors'. After finishing the first draft of his second play, the playwright cut up all the parts and weighed them. He wrote additional lines for some actors and cut others' scenes until each part weighed the same.
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Plays have arrived in a variety of forms – some hand-written in exercise books, others accompanied by photographs and drawings. The most unusual came from Africa, written in pencil on the back of betting slips. Another, from India, was delivered wrapped in a silk handkerchief.
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Former competition judges include writers Doris Lessing, Biyi Bandele and Rose Tremain; actors Lennie James and Indira Varma and theatre directors Jatinder Verma, Mehmet Ergen, Ola Animashawun and Femi Elufowoju Jr.
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In conjunction with the British Council, global writing workshops (held most recently in South Africa, Ghana and Qatar) have encouraged budding playwrights to add radio drama to their writing portfolios.
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Radio is a surprisingly visual medium. Dennis Potter once quoted a small girl who, asked if she preferred radio or television, chose radio, "because the pictures are better".
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Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service Press Office
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