Shifting the Narrative: Radical Love Commissions

Wed 28 Aug 2024 | Our Plays, Playwriting

A new initiative, inviting eight Global Majority artists to write short-form responses to the West End production of Benedict Lombe’s hit play Shifters, which is at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London, until 12 October. 

We’re delighted to be launching this new opportunity, alongside ATG Entertainment West End Creative Learning and the Producers of Shifters.

Successful writers will be invited to watch a performance of Shifters and write a short piece responding to the themes of the play, centring on the stimulus of ‘radical love’. Each successful playwright will be paid a micro-commission fee and will receive dramaturgical support from the Bush Theatre’s Artistic team.

We are keen to meet new writers that would like to be considered for this paid opportunity, so please fill out this form to help us get to know you a little better, including attaching a short excerpt of a piece of your writing that gives us an idea of your voice. The deadline for applications is Weds 4 Sept.

Apply now

More information about the project, and some key dates:

• Each successful writer will be paid a micro-commission fee of £395 and will receive dramaturgical support from the Bush Theatre’s Artistic team.
• We will invite you to watch a performance of Shifters at the Duke of York’s Theatre in early September (we will plan a group trip for all 8 writers either week commencing 9th September)
• You will then have time to write a response to the themes of the play, centring on the stimulus of ‘radical love’.
• First drafts will be submitted by 16 September. You will receive feedback on your draft in a dramaturgy meeting with a member of the Bush Theatre’s artistic team.
• The deadline for final drafts will be 23 September.
• The pieces will be shared in a rehearsed reading format in early October in the Duke of York’s Theatre, with an invited audience of industry leaders.

Eligibility:

• This is an opportunity for early-career playwrights. Applicants should not currently be under commission and should have no more than 2 previous writing credits at fringe level.
• Applicants should be from the Global Majority, or from a background currently underrepresented in the West End.
• Due to this being a paid opportunity, applicants must be aged 18 or over. There is no upper age limit.

This is a joint project from the Bush Theatre, ATG’s Creative Learning team and the Producers of Shifters to celebrate the historic transfer of Benedict Lombe’s hit play.

“At the Bush we’re all about supporting writers to build sustainable careers, and Shifters is the product of working with Benedict Lombe through our artist development schemes and over the course of three commissions. We are proud to be able to continue to make opportunities for early-career playwrights, platforming their work at the heart of the West End, and cementing the legacy of Shifters creating a culture shift in the theatrical landscape.” – Lynette Linton

Shifters is this summer’s sizzling romance, starring Heather Agyepong (Amazon’s The Power) and Tosin Cole (star of Netflix’s hit new release Supacell). Both reprise their electrifying performances, which received critical acclaim in the original Bush Theatre production, at the Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London.

This epic and universal love story is about the enduring power of memory and first love. Shifters’ transfer marks a ground-breaking moment for Benedict Lombe who is the third Black British female playwright to have her play staged in the history of the West End. Shifters is produced in the West End by Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Chuchu Nwagu Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions, alongside Idris Elba, Maya Jama and Little Simz.

Shifters was originally commissioned by the Bush Theatre as part of its Staged by Jerwood scheme, an artist development programme for alumni of the Bush’s Emerging Writers’ Group, supported by the Jerwood Foundation.

Book your tickets for Shifters here.