Fee: £6976.45 (detailed further down)
 

Application Deadline: Friday 22nd July 

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BSL Version of this page 

Project dates: 

• Co-creation workshops: 8 days with local Croydon primary schools: 12th-15th & 26th-29th September

• R&D: 19th-23rd September at Stanley Arts, South Norwood

• Commission period: Oct- Dec 2022 (can extend into Jan 2023 if you need)

• Rehearsals: 2.5 weeks in March 2023 (exact dates tbc so please let us know if you have any major clashes during this month)

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Overview:

We are looking for a brilliant deaf writer who loves collaboration and creating bold characters with fun, highly engaging storylines to help us create Bossy, a brand new children’s show aimed at 5-9 year olds. 

About the show:

Bossy follows Beth who is clever, confident and wants to become the best leader in the world, and is often called ‘Bossy’ for it.  We want the show to be a celebration of young, inclusive feminism, deaf culture and black culture. As such, Black deaf writers will be prioritised in our search. We are also open to applications from deaf writers/ storytellers from other backgrounds. The show will be performed primarily in BSL, and we will explore how we incorporate English through captioning and speech. 

Who we are looking for:

We are looking for a deaf artist; either a BSL user, or someone with strong storytelling and BSL skills, who can create the script, working alongside the creative team.

How we will support you:

There are lots of barriers for deaf writers in the theatre industry. We really welcome applications from people who may not usually consider themselves ‘a playwright’, as well as those who do. You do need to have some professional experience in theatre to apply.

The writer will be supported and/or mentored by an experienced writer as appropriate, who can support script development and also support with translating the script from BSL to English if needed. 

About the creation process:

We will begin the project running Co-creation workshops in Croydon primary schools, working with children in years 3 & 4 to gain inspiration and understanding into the lives of our young characters to inform the script. These workshops run either side of a week of Research and Development with actors/devisers, choreographers and a composer. 

There will then be a Commission period stretching over a few months where you will have time to create the story/script of the show, with mentoring, support and collaboration from the team. Rehearsals will then take place in March 2023 before a tour in April - May.  

If there is an English language writer who you have worked with before and would like to suggest as a mentor or collaborator, please let us know. 

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Fee breakdown:

• Commission £6110 (This includes co-creation workshops and R&D)

• Rehearsals £866.45 (ITC writers day rate x 13 days)

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How to Apply:

Please email the following;

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- A simple email/ cover letter/ video (around 500 words or 2 minutes is fine) telling us about you/ your work, 

- A CV attached to the email (or, if you prefer, a link to your website if this includes a list of your credits

- A sample of your work (can be in any format that suits you: a short video / document / written script / link to previous shows etc) but it must best reflect you and your work. 

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To laura@wearezooco.co.uk with the heading 'Bossy BSL Writer Application'.

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We are happy to receive applications in alternative formats, including video/ voice notes and in BSL.

We do not need your CV/ cover letter to look pretty/ designed!

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If you have any questions before applying, please email Laura on laura@wearezooco.co.uk. 

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Access Support:

If you have access needs, we can offer some access support to help you apply. Please contact Fleur Rooth, our Access Manager on fleur@wearezooco.co.uk. 

If you are offered the role, and you have access needs, we will work with you to ensure your access needs are met.

Our team is Deaf Awareness trained, and many of us are competent BSL signers. 

Our team includes a trained Mental Health First Aider.

Our office and rehearsal spaces at Stanley Arts are wheelchair accessible, with a disabled toilet. Stanley Arts does not yet have a Changing Place, and some rooms in the building do not have wheelchair access. There is a disabled parking bay outside. 

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