The show must go on

Talented actress, producer and Bryanston resident Julie-Anne McDowell from How Now Brown Cow productions wants to encourage writers to keep writing amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

A literature lover, McDowell said that there are so many stories to tell with willing storytellers.

“I suddenly thought to myself that without stories there can essentially be no productions. Theatre only becomes alive when you have a story to tell and as actors, we are vessels for our characters.”

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She said that she became aware of the fact that writers and storytellers were also going through some struggles and so ‘The Writers’ Collective’ was born.

“It became important for me to enable writers to write. This will help encourage the creation of 12 new works all by local South African playwrights. What we want to do is create a body of work that can be commissioned and produced over the next two years,” she said.

She added that this programme will have three groups of writers who will work with mentors over a period of four months.

“Each writer will then have the platform to each present the first draft of a new stage play which may be considered for production in time to come.

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Co-founder of the How Now Brown Cow and former managing director of the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town said that 2021 will be yet another challenging and unpredictable year for the arts.

“We must find ways to continue to inspire creativity, sustain hope and celebrate the talent we have in our country. Writing a play, especially in lockdown, can be a solitary process and so we are delighted to be able to present an opportunity to provide feedback and mentorship with The Writers’ Collective,” he said.

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McDowell mentioned that her and Galloway founded How Now Brown Cow because of their shared vision for the industry.

“We came up with HNBC in November last year, initially we did want to launch it with production. But due to Covid-19, we can’t get onto the stage at the moment. We launched it toward the end of last year to try and create some hope and optimism for the industry.”

McDowell added that their main aim with The Writer’s Collective is to reinvest in the grassroots of theatre and storytelling by empowering writers.

For more information about the collective or to get involved visit: www.hownowbrowncow.co.za

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