Interview: Kimberley Andrews, London Playwrights Blog

Workshops, competitions, feedback and submission opportunities can all be found at London Playwrights Blog. Over more than a decade, the subscription-based service has created a thriving and supportive member community of writers for the stage. Co-founder Kimberley Andrews tells us more.

Kimberley, tell us a bit about yourself…

I started writing (a long time ago!) when I joined the Birmingham Rep’s young writers’ programme, where I had several plays staged. I then did an MA in Text & Performance Studies at RADA, where I continued to write and produce my own work at fringe venues. In recent years, I’ve focused more on my work as a dramaturg, and being a mum to two children who keep me busy! But I still write and I have just finished drafts of two new plays - a comedy and a drama. I’m hoping to do something exciting with these in 2024.

How was LPW formed and why?

London Playwrights Blog was formed by my friend Alli Smith and I in 2013. We’d both finished our MAs and wanted to get our work on stage but we were frustrated by the lack of information out there for playwrights - it felt like there was a big gap between the safety net of university and the readymade network of creatives it brings, and the ‘real’ industry.

We wanted to put all the opportunities in one place so that they could be easily accessed by emerging playwrights… and so the blog was born.

How has it grown?

The blog struck a chord and we soon started creating more initiatives including a new writing festival and our annual January playwriting challenge, #WrAP (Write a play), as well as workshops and writers meetups. As we grew, we needed to find ways to sustain our organisation, so we launched our subscription scheme where members pay £3.63 per month to gain access to exclusive resources and discounts whilst directly funding our running costs.

We currently offer workshops, resources, a podcast, a rolling submission service for our members who can submit plays and receive feedback, as well as development groups and mentoring schemes - and of course, we continue to bring writers the Opportunities Weekly Round-up which is free.

Tell us about your members…

Initially, most of our members were London-based but this completely changed during the pandemic. As we moved our events and workshops online and responded to lockdown by creating more resources and support for playwrights, our reach became international. We now have members all over the UK and the world. Time zones permitting, it’s quite common for us to have international writers at our workshops. We have members in their twenties and their eighties and this makes for fantastic discussion and learning opportunities at our meetups. We also have differing experience levels: some are complete beginners who want to learn how to write their first play, others have been writing for years and produce their own work. This diversity is a real strength as writers can learn from each other; there is a real sense of community within our membership as a result.

How do you help writers?

Our weekly opportunities round-up is good motivation - just knowing what’s out there and what’s possible is a great incentive to get more writing done! We also offer Zoom workshops, dramaturgy packages, and online guides and resources to help writers to develop their craft.

What do you have coming up that the world should know about?

We have a range of new Zoom workshops which can be booked via Eventbrite. We also have in-person courses coming up. Our rolling submission window is open too.

What key advice do you have for writers?

Keep writing! And to bounce off TYPE!’s excellent tagline, if you write more and write now you will inevitably write better. Another tip is to be patient about redrafting - playwriting is a terrible way to get instant gratification but really taking your time to redraft will not only improve your play but also improve your writing skills for the next one. I’d also recommend being open to feedback and actively seeking this out. This doesn’t have to be a paid script consulting service, you could do something like a script swap with another writer or attend groups where work is shared.

What have you learned about writing?

It’s easy to think that if you’re not earning your main living from writing, you’re not really a writer; but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Most writers have day-jobs, caring responsibilities etc so don’t be discouraged if you can’t write all the time. That said, motivation is key, so I’ve learned to find ways to write alongside other things going on in life. There are some good tips about this on our Playwriting Real-life podcast.

What have you learned about theatre?

Theatre is adaptable and writers should be too. Just as things like online streaming and filmed performances grew out of lockdown, writers can get creative about how they get their work on stage. You don’t have to be commissioned by the Royal Court or have a play on at the National to be successful: think about self-producing, fringe theatres, festivals, pub-theatres, community venues or events. Even a recorded Zoom reading can help you to develop your work and provide something you can show to people.

What are you most proud of?

I’m proud of many of our initiatives such as #WrAP and our writer development groups but for me, the big thing is the community we have built over the last decade. When we have writers invite us along to plays they say they wouldn’t have written without our support, or groups of writers who have collaborated after meeting at our events - I think this is our big success and shows how vital organisations such as London Playwrights are for emerging writers.

Your plans for the future?

Mainly, to keep going - as with all arts organisations, we’re finding times challenging and it’s especially tricky as we rely solely on our members to fund our work. Our future plans consist of spreading the word and securing our future to ensure we can continue bringing resources and information to writers and cultivate a supportive community. We also have plans to upgrade and increase our digital resources in the next year, so look out for that.

What can the TYPE! community do to help?

Become a LPW member for the price of a coffee. It really does make such a difference, and you can sign up for just £3.63 a month. Members also get 30% off workshops and 20% off Dramaturgy packages. We think that’s great value, so do our members. Alternatively, anyone interested in what we do can sign up to a one-off event or course, via our Eventbrite page here.