Darrel Bristow-Bovey's PRIEST WITH BALLOONS Wins Imbewu Trust's SCrIBE 2017 Competition

The winner of the 2017 SCrIBE Scriptwriting Competition has been announced. Darrel Bristow-Bovey will have his play, PRIEST WITH BALLOONS, presented by the Imbewu Trust for a professional run at a Cape Town theatre next year.

The announcement was made at an event following a series of staged readings of the top three finalists' scripts. The other two were TWO LOVERS by Ter Hollmann and GARDENING AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS by Juliette Rose-Innes.

Produced by the Imbewu Trust and now celebrating its sixth year, SCrIBE is a national competition which provides the opportunity for playwrights to develop their work, including all finalists having the invaluable opportunity to engage in feedback sessions with audience members at staged readings of their scripts. Of his SCrIBE experience, Bristow-Bovey says:

I'm a first-time and somewhat insecure theatre writer, and being part of such a generous, encouraging and creatively stimulating process is one of the greatest gifts I have received in my life, both professionally and personally.

In PRIEST WITH BALLOONS, a tiny, impoverished fishing village on the West Coast of South Africa is in the grip of a drought that is causing the fabric of the community to unravel. The local reverend of the church hatches an unusual plan to unite and inspire his congregation, but he becomes locked in conflict with his brother, a television actor visiting from Johannesburg, and with Xolisa, the politically conscientised daughter of his domestic worker, and finally, with himself, his faith and his belief in his place in the New South Africa.

Bristow-Bovey is a columnist for a number of newspapers, websites and magazines. He is also a travel writer, screenwriter and public speaker and has published five books, including I MOVED YOUR CHEESE, which was translated into seven languages around the world, and SUPERZERO, which won the Percy Fitzpatrick Prize for Youth Literature. His most recent book is ONE MIDLIFE CRISIS AND A SPEEDO. He was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Literature and lives in Sea Point, Cape Town.

Criteria for the SCrIBE competition included that scripts must neither have been previously produced nor have existing future runs plans for production. The plays should be in English, no longer than 40 pages or 80 minutes long and with a maximum of five cast members. Entrants must be over 18 years old. The Imbewu Trust and judges were again looking for original content of outstanding quality that explores the diverse range of South African stories. The panel of SCrIBE judges comprises a group of seasoned theatre practitioners. Samantha de Romijn, co-founder of the Imbewu Trust, comments:

It is encouraging that we received such a diverse range of entries. The readings of the finalists this week once again proved to be engaging and constructive.

Speaking at the event, co-founder Paul Griffiths said SCrIBE's achievements to date included presenting four productions; SCrIBBLERS Dream writing workshops in Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth, and staged readings of thirty finalists' plays, including the benefit of post-show discussions. Previous entrants have gone on to rework their text as a result of the open readings and some to further professional runs. Other finalists have included acclaimed theatre-makers and writers such as Joanna Evans, Menzi Mkhwane, Eliot Moleba and Gabriella Pinto, as well as rising new voices in South African theatre.

The Imbewu Trust is a non-profit organisation which was established to promote the development of contemporary South African theatre and arts. Imbewu seeks to create an accessible community of varied voices that can flourish through collaboration, resourcefulness and innovation, as well as showcase the best of South African theatre on an international platform and create opportunities for new theatre practitioners. For further information, visit the Imbewu Trust website.