First Drafts (1 & 2): The first drafts written alone by the writer...me...will be sent out to a range of selected writers, directors, producers and actors (theatre folk, mainly) who will be asked to read it and just give some cursory feedback on specific questions of a theatrical nature.  This will mainly be on characterisation, narrative structure, etc.  (March 2012 - Jan 2013).  

First Reading: An arranged reading with a theatre writing group.  This will essentially be a cold reading, no staging, just the play.  It allows me to HEAR the play out loud.  From a writer's perspective I gain a lot from this by hearing dialogue patterns and the narrative.  I can also get to see the reactions of those listening to the play.  Feedback is  essential at this stage. (26th Feb 2013)

Draft 3: The play is then re-drafted based on my own notes and feedback from others.  I won't necessarily act on ALL the feedback I am given - a writer needs to be confident to stick by ideas they feel strongly about.  It's important to try to be objective, but this can get harder as you take more ownership over your work.  The main redrafting here will be on a basic level - holes in the narrative, inconsistencies in characters that you missed, and so on. (11th April 2013)

Reading 2 with Focus Group: For this play in particular I will want to gather together people who have been affected by the issues in the play and know something of the REAL world of these characters.  It's important to remember I am writing a fiction here, and some "dramatic licence" is needed...but getting feedback from an audience who are not necessarily theatre enthusiasts or creators can give a very different range of feedback on the play.  I might do more than one of these if I can, perhaps if there are different types/mixes of audiences.  Here I will use actors to read the play, but the audience is really my main interest. (20th April 2013)

Draft 4: This draft of the play will take strength from the input of the second reading, and developments will mainly be focused on issues of believability and factual accuracies.  I will want to really understand the characters and the journey they go through; the themes and issues in the play; the effect I want to it have on my audience, and above all...I would have been gaining a lot of feedback on the ending of the play - what is the lasting image it gives the audience? (24th June 2013)

Getting the play on stage: Now this is the exciting part!  After having twiddled my thumbs and had no replies to submissions for some competitions and festivals, I changed approach and decided it was about time I just staged it myself!   With a producer on board we submitted to "Birmingham Fest 2014" and were successful in getting the venue we wanted (having contacts helped with this!).  Now with a cast already lined up (see the "Meet the Cast" page) we will soon be into rehearsals and well on the way to the first production of the play.  This will be the true test of the play...seeing it brought to life on stage. (March 2014)

Adapting the Play into a Screenplay: There was so much enthusiasm from the audience that this play needed to reach a wider audience, I thought carefully about what to do next.  One angle is to now market it out to producers and theatres to get a full size production of the play.  The other one, as most of the audience seemed to support, was to adapt it for the screen.  With some encouragement from fellow writers in the profession who have greatly supported the play, I am now working on that adaptation.  I am not experienced when it comes to screen writing, so this is an exciting new venture for me, and for "No Smoke". (August 2014)