The winning script will be announced on 31 August and will enjoy a full season in Cape Town at the Theatre Arts Admin Collective from 1-12 October in Observatory. The Imbewu Trust will work with the winning writer to produce all aspects of the staging of the production. The inaugural competition last year was won by Gabriella Pinto.
The entries were reviewed by a panel of judges of established theatre makers, directors and producers. Sam de Romijn, director of The Imbewu Trust, and Paul Griffiths, founder of the SCrIBE competition and a trustee of The Imbewu Trust emphasised that Imbewu is looking for new works of outstanding quality, original content and that represent the depth and range of the South African theatre landscape. The scripts are all in English, no longer than 40 pages or 80 minutes, with no more than five cast members.
The plays received this year are of a diverse nature and truly reflect all aspects of contemporary life in South Africa. Writers have touched this year upon very significant societal occurrences, for example one text looks at the Brett Murray painting, and the government's reaction to it. Likewise the Anni Dewani murder is central to another text as well as number of intimate observations about abuse of women.
"It is really exciting to see the diverse nature of the plays as some deal with these very relevant and serious topics, while other are vampires living in poetic space. The most predominant style of writing has been realism, though there are aspects of African magical realism and absurdism. We are extremely excited about how this project has grown in such a short space of time and the number of brilliant works that have been submitted," said De Romijn.
The Imbewu Trust is a non-profit organisation focused on the development and promotion of contemporary South African theatre and arts. It seeks to create an accessible community of varied voices that can flourish through collaboration, resourcefulness and innovation whose primary objectives are to support and stimulate the contemporary theatre industry, as well as showcasing the best of South African theatre on an international platform and create opportunities for new theatre practitioners.
For more, go to www.imbewuarts.com.
