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We presented three of the plays developed in our workshops at the Kreuzberger HoffestSpiele last September in Theatre Expedition Metropolis. We read these plays months before the festival and talked with the writers for feedback. The playwright needs to hear the text they’ve written and see how people react to it so they can make the necessary changes.

Semi-stage these plays at the HoffFestSpiele was a completely different experience than doing it between us on a Zoom screen. We wanted to know how the playwrights felt and learn more about their creative process.

Storm Jackson-Payne

How was it for you to hear your words spoken in front of an audience?

I found it surreal but in a really good way. It was the first time I had seen something that I had written be performed without also being involved in the production, so I didn’t know what to expect. The actors were great and I’m so grateful to them for bringing my script to life. I really enjoyed the feeling of only being one part of something, and the actors and director completing it in the way they felt was right.

How did you start writing?

I started writing plays when I was a kid, mostly so me and my friends could act in them and have a laugh. I later ended up studying script writing at university.

How about Shout Fire? Why Shout Fire?

With Shout Fire, I wanted to show how normalised it is for women to fear men. The characters talk about their experiences of feeling threatened and the tactics that they employ to feel more safe, whilst at the same time laughing at the ridiculousness of what they are saying. Faking phone calls and holding your keys between your fingers to use as a defence weapon are not things that anybody should feel they have to do on a daily basis, but somehow it’s necessary, and these characters find the humour in it to cope. I know that not all women will identify with the character’s experiences, but it was important for me to write this perspective.

What is your writing process like?

I can’t really say I have a writing process, but for Shout Fire I started without much of a plan and wrote it very quickly in two sittings. Because it was all one scene and quite a fast-paced script, I felt I had to just keep going so as not to lose the momentum of the dialogue. Since finishing Shout Fire, I have been trying to write a little every day, just to stay in the habit of writing and to put any ideas that have been forming down on the page before I forget them or grow bored of them.

How did being part of WriteNow Berlin affected your writing?

WriteNow Berlin has honestly changed everything for me in terms of writing. After I graduated from university, I didn’t write a thing for almost six years. Within months of attending these workshops, I have written a play and am keen to keep going. The workshops are so practical and just get you writing instantly. Also, hearing other people’s work is so inspiring and hearing other people’s feedback is invaluable.

Are you working on a new play at the moment?

Yes, I am working on another short play at the moment. It also focuses on themes of violence against women.

Any tips for people starting to write?

Don’t wait around for the perfect idea. I have to tell myself this all the time. If you have just a glimmer of an idea or a character or just one line that’s in your head, just start writing and see what happens.

We presented three of the plays developed in our workshops at the Kreuzberger HoffestSpiele last September in Theatre Expedition Metropolis. We read these plays months before the festival and talked with the writers for feedback. The playwright needs to hear the text they’ve written and see how people react to it so they can make the necessary changes.

Semi-stage these plays at the HoffFestSpiele was a completely different experience than doing it between us on a Zoom screen. We wanted to know how the playwrights felt and learn more about their creative process.

Alice Rugai

How was it for you to hear your words spoken in front of an audience?

I was shivering. It was not the first time because I directed my own play in Italy. But this was the first time I was not involved in directing nor dramaturgy so it was a bit more exciting/terrifying. I loved that and I am grateful for the experience.

How did you start writing?

I was a kid in elementary school. I started with a personal diary (still doing it!) and I was encouraged by teachers when they read my first poem. It is a necessity now, like eating, but I am much more often inspired than hungry.

How about ” My body was not meant as a prison”? Why “My body was not meant as a prison”?

On one hand, it is a comment on the role of control in female bodies, on the other hand, it is a political play denouncing medical abuse in Italy. I was reading abortion stories during the pandemic and I was shocked by the absence of empathy and the violation of human rights. But the play goes deeper, it is not only a critique of anti-choice movements, it is the story of a female body, a quite common one and for this reason tragic.

What is your writing process like? 

I like working with keywords, or poetic words. I wrote a summary of words I needed to touch with my writings. Then it came to the poem, a sort of slam poetry scream, and from that, the play originated itself. I added a character, a story and I tried to contradict myself. Contradiction and ambiguity are the best to write conflicts properly. But I don’t always have the same writing process.

How did being part of WriteNow Berlin affected your writing?

I enjoy support from the community, I like the fact that we are constantly learning and sharing within the community. I don’t like competitions, I have to take part to show my writings but I am not a big fan of it. Writing communities can change the world. Being part of Write Now Berlin also made it possible for me to respect my identity as a writer and as a migrant person at the same time.

Are you working on a new play at the moment?

Of course, unfortunately, I am addicted. This time it is a bit different though. I am trying to work with the “Theatre of the Oppressed” technique first and the writing process is gonna be shared by different members of the group and will come only after improvised rehearsals. The theme is solidarity with and within the migrant community. I had written a play about it too but I wanted to try a more political approach to the writing process itself.

Any tips for people starting to write?

Don’t do it, you will die poor. Do it and don’t underestimate the (political) power of your words. Do it on paper so you won’t be blind in your 30s. I’m sorry. Find a good therapist.