A Cape Town theatre company is giving stage writers the opportunity to create and promote South African storytelling, mentored by industry leaders.
How Now Brown Cow, established by producers Julie-Anne McDowell and Daniel Galloway late last year, has launched the Writers’ Collective, a project that aims to deliver 12 original scripts within 12 months.
One of the first four writers in the collective is Cape Town writer and director Karen Jeynes.
“I’ve come into this with what I particularly wanted to write, which is a piece inspired by someone’s real life,” Jeynes said. “I’m currently in the research and reading phase of that process. Taking reality and learning as much about it as possible so you can be true and authentic to it, particularly about someone that’s really important to people, but at the same time, making sure it’s theatrical and an experience that deserves the energy of that live stage.”
Jeynes is mostly known for her work on television, writing for shows such as ZA News and Point of Order, as well as theatre productions such as Everybody Else (is F*cking Perfect), which debuted in Cape Town in 2005 to critical acclaim.
"Getting back into stage writing and what makes it special is something I’m looking forward to," she added.
Along with fellow writers Amy Jephta, Koleka Putuma and Greg Homann, Jeynes will be mentored by English writer William Nicholson. Nicholson is most famous for his work as a writer for films such as Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables, and the 2000 film Gladiator, which landed him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
“I’ve exchanged a few emails with him and it’s been fantastic,” Jeynes said. “His work is excellent and we always benefit from outside voices and other perspectives. Even the most famous writer always has an editor, and often in the theatre one should attract others under the right circumstances because we are often alone.”
The project was launched on February 1. The collective is split into three periods of four months. During each period, four writers will work with their mentor to produce the first draft of four unique scripts. Each writer will receive a monthly stipend. The next group of writers will start work on June 1 with a new mentor who has yet to be announced.
How Now Brown Cow co-founder Julie-Anne McDowell said the idea for the collective was amplified in the weeks following the launch of the company.
“It mushroomed through lockdown, us thinking about and creating interesting work that we could do as a production company,” she said. “We are convinced that theatre will return, hopefully this year, but at the end of last year it became clear that now wasn’t the time, with the second wave of Covid-19. There is also a hesitation among consumers. So if you look at 2021, realistically we won’t be able to roll anything out during the first six months.”
McDowell added that scripts produced by the collective would not only focus on local storytelling, but would have the potential to be received by international audiences.
“We are looking for writers who can tell South African stories but that also have a global relevance. The works we are producing, we want to take them overseas.”
