Imbewu Trust Announces 2016 SCrIBE Winners

The winners of the 2016 SCrIBE Scriptwriting Competition were announced at the end of last week, following a week of professional staged readings featuring four finalists. Nokuzola Zoe Bikwana's NO CHRISTMAS FOR US and Milton Schorr's THE HEROIN DIARIES were announced as the overall winners of the annual competition. The other finalists were Carla Lever for FOOD FOR THOUGHT and Mark Tatham for MAN UP.

Produced by the Imbewu Trust and now marking its fifth year, SCrIBE is a national competition which provides the opportunity for playwrights to develop their work. Speaking at the awards ceremony, co-founder of the Imbewu Trust Samantha de Romijn said that the standard of the top plays this year had been especially high:

It's hard to use the word 'awards' as we aim for all the finalists to take away with them a valuable experience of exchange and input about their script. As the SCrIBE competition has evolved, we have realised the importance of adapting the prizes for the maximum benefit to the recipients - whether that is a mentorship writing programme, script development opportunities or hosting a full production of the play. Nokuzola's and Milton's scripts were compelling stories, wonderfully told and with huge potential to be crafted into a theatrical experience. We are delighted to announce that the Zabalaza team, who staged the reading of NO CHRISTMAS FOR US, has expressed interest in hosting the play, and the Imbewu Trust will be lending its support to the forthcoming run of THE HEROIN DIARIES at Alexander Bar, directed by Fred Abrahamse.

Bikwana is an English teacher who was raised in Nyanga township in Cape Town. She started writing at the age of nine. She holds two Honours Degrees in History and Public Administration and has studied at UCT, UWC and Stellenbosch Universities. NO CHRISTMAS FOR US explores the events that took place in Nyanga in December 1976 which culminated in extreme violence between township residents and migrants, otherwise known as hostel dwellers. A reminder of the history of this part of the township that is seldom narrated, it allows audiences to consider more recent parallels, the xenophobic attacks that still plague our nation. She says:

The script was based on my Honours history thesis about the events in Nyanga in 1976, which are less well known than, for example, the events in Soweto. I wanted to find a broader audience to talk about these important events, which have parallels that resonate with all South Africans, young and old. This was evident in the comments from the audience that attended the readings. We hope that this play will get South Africa talking and will help in the memorialisation of our histories as a nation. I am feeling excited about being a winner and very positive about the comments I received to help shape the text.

Schorr is a writer and actor. With a background in theatre. he continues to create plays, act, write scripts, stories, features, and travel. His favourite topics are alternative, from permaculture to hitchhiking to mixed martial arts. In The Heroin Diaries, Craig, a 34-year-old heroin dealer has been a using drug addict for two decades and his lifestyle is finally catching up to him. He is planning to check out quietly, the way he always knew he would, by overdose. But when sixteen year old Leila arrives at his flat searching for her own oblivion, he is given one last chance to question the life he's lead thus far, and perhaps to choose a different ending. Schorr says:

I found the feedback from the readings an invaluable experience and will take them in to consideration for my forthcoming run. I am thrilled to be a SCrIBE winner!

The Imbewu Trust is a non-profit organisation which was established to promote the development of contemporary South African theatre and arts and to help showcase it on an international stage. It seeks to create an accessible community of varied voices that can flourish through collaboration, resourcefulness and innovation.