Scribe Scriptwriting Competition winners announced

Joanna Evans

Menzi Mkhwane's Last Cow Standing was the recipient of the script development award, enabling him to work further on the text, while writer Thomas Hopkins, who submitted The Great Beginning, won the Scribblers Dream, a financial prize to work alongside award-winning writer, director and theatre maker Neil Coppen, to develop his writing.

The top five finalists had the opportunity to get feedback about their plays from the public and members of the industry at a series of staged readings with professional directors and actors. The other two finalists were Eliot Moleba for Man in the Green Jacket and Kim Sanssoucie for Dirt Road.

Speaking at the awards, Coppen emphasised that all the finalists were winners, having reached the final selection of nearly 30 scripts, and having been able to engage in the post-reading discussions.

Audience development was the key

Sam de Romijn, co-founder of the Imbewu Trust, added that, as part of the growth and longevity of the Scribe programme, audience development was the key, and including them in the process of creation through post-show discussions, helped achieve this.

Presenting the awards, Imbewu Trust co founder Paul Griffiths said: "It's important for the growth of South African theatre to create platforms for writers where they can showcase and then further develop their work. Entries this year addressed a range of contentious issues and themes, and the post-show discussions provided interesting insights. I thank and congratulate the writers for having the courage to put themselves there."

4 Small Gods is a comic-tragedy that rewrites the ancient flood myth to examine contemporary relationships between people, animals, and the Earth. Barriers between species, as well as barriers of language and theatrical convention, are destabilised on a storm-tossed boat.

'4 Small Gods will be presented in Cape Town next year. Go to www.imbewuarts.com for updates and information.