​I had no expectations at all when I first submitted a piece of writing to Manchester ADP. I’ve had experience with these kind of things in the past and as general rule, you send a piece of writing off, and that’s pretty much the end of it. Most of these things start out with good intentions. But good intentions can only get you so far. Good intentions are pretty worthless without some professional commitment to turn them into something more.
 
It was something of a surprise then to find that not only was my first submission ‘Caminada’ acknowledged pretty much straight away, it was read, given feedback and chosen for the inaugural night of short plays.
 
Since then I’ve had four of my short pieces performed as well as one full length play, The Script. I have at least two more submissions that have been accepted and are in the pipeline and I’m probably going to submit another full length play any time now.
 
I remember when ADP first started I said to Diana that one day she would make me famous. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to appear on Andrew “Top Techie” Glassford’s excellent podcast and be interviewed about my writing and Scripts Aloud on local radio station, All FM. I’ve also had the aforementioned The Script long listed by the BBC and have been approached by a potential producer. On top of all that I am also staring into the dark, cavernous abyss that is the Arts Council of England grant application process, where all artistic hopes and dreams go to die and remain forever buried. If the BBC is the silver lining, the ACE is definitely the bleak and unremittingly grey cloud. Of course, none of this constitutes anything like being famous but it gets me out of the flat and talking to people, which is a start. It also gives me the impetus to just sit down an write. ADP is in a constant battle with my own sloth and indolence. Right now, ADP is winning.
 
Writing is meaningless until it finds an audience. Any piece of work is just an unwanted foetus that gestates in a draw or on a hard drive until somebody else decides to drag it kicking and screaming into the harsh light of day. Diana, Hannah and Lisa are the midwives. Some of the pieces I’ve had performed I’m quite proud of, some are unloved brats I would happily see taken into care, and some of them I think might grow up one day and turn out brighter than I ever hoped they could be. (I’m going to stop with this birth/child analogy now because even I’m getting bored with it.)
 
Initially, I didn’t care much for the Q&A after the performance. I thought it unnecessary and a waste of time for the writer. But over time I’ve come to look forward to it. Being a little argumentative and belligerent by nature I enjoy the challenge of the questions and I find the prospect of live criticism gives my writing a little more of an edge. I always believe in writing to the smartest person in the room and there are some very smart people indeed in the ADP audience.
 
Same with turning up for rehearsals. At first, I didn’t mind popping my head in and saying hello for a few minutes, and prior to ADP I’d found getting involved in rehearsals tended to suck what little joy I have in me away. I positively hate the word ‘creative’ and tend to run a mile when someone mentions collaboration but thanks to ADP I’m now warming to it. Watching the process of directing is endlessly fascinating and I’m happy to just sit and watch what some truly great directors and actors can do moulding and shaping a piece of work.
 
But that’s the thing - writing something is easy. It really is. All you need is a half-arsed idea and access to a keyboard, and who doesn’t have that? Writing something that actors and directors will have some faith in, and interpret it and represent it the best they can, not because it’s a bit of a job that might look good on their CV, but because it’s something they think is genuinely good, is far more difficult. Because a writer can only get to his audience by using the actors and directors as a conduit. The investment of faith has to be mutual. Without them the writer is impotent (I’m back on that baby/birth analogy again, aren’t I?)
 
One thing I didn’t expect when I got involved ADP is the debates that spill over into the bar afterwards and sometimes this is my favourite part of the night. Subjects such as: does theatre have a responsibility to be be political?  Does theatre do enough to reach out to the working class? and is theatre still valid as a viable art form?

Long may those arguments continue and long may they remain unresolved.
 
Writers have a responsibility. More than anything they have a responsibility to tell an audience something they don’t know and not to treat them like fools. Or to tell them something they thought they knew but tell them in a way they’ve never thought of before. Or just to make them smile. They have a responsibility to let the audience go home and think it was a fiver well spent on something they couldn’t get from anywhere else.
 
All writers think that everything they write drips with the honeyed wisdom of the ages and only they are in possession of the keys to the kingdom of all knowledge. But that’s not true. The process of writing may be a solitary business, and so it should be, but it’s all for nothing unless a group of people are willing to take a chance on them and give them an opportunity to get whatever it is they want to say out there. ADP are the forceps that pull the ….. (Oh, God, I’m doing it again…..)
 
Best I just finish by saying this - Everyone at Manchester ADP does everything they do the best they possibly can. And they are very, very good at it.
 
Anyway, that’’l do for now, I have to get off. I have a half-arsed idea and new batteries in my keyboard.
 
See you next time.

​- Bobby

*Photos credited to Mark Russell. Above - Robert Pegg and Esther Dix working on 'The Script'. Below - Zoe Iqbal. 

That ghostly halo of light? The dark form at the back of Script Aloud evenings? The lightest pitter-patter of fingers flying across a touch-screen? That’s me, as opposed to the tweeting, theatre-loving ghost of the Kings Arms. Though, that has just given me a new account idea…

To those new to Manchester ADP (hello and welcome), I am Manchester ADP’s official Twitter account manager. Catchy title, I think you’ll agree. My job is essentially to make lots of e-noise from our twitter page @ManchesterADP in the hope we will keep raising awareness of this wonderful network.

I came into my grand title in a rather round-about way. I originally joined Manchester ADP as a script appraiser – a job I thoroughly recommend to everyone who loves theatre – before then being cast as ‘Maggie’ in Robert Peggs ‘Salutation’ on February 22. That evening, Hannah and Diana let me volunteer to help with the social media side based on my previous experience… not that I ever provided a reference (take note everyone)! I was lucky that we already had over 200 followers to the page and so many dedicated ADP-ers who retweet, like and follow nearly every post I write! Since then we have grown to over 700 followers, so thank you, thank you, thank you to all those who have followed us and continue support us.   

A little insight into the life behind that retweet… My basic day includes my laptop, fluffy socks and large mugs of caffeine perched nearby as I peruse the newsfeed and various lists for the latest news in the Manchester theatre scene. It is utterly addictive: the thrill of finding a fantastic opportunity to share or reading the great work you all do every day is uplifting and exciting. Sad as it may seem, I find a lot of joy in the fact that, despite everything, Mancunians continue to nourish Greater Manchester’s thriving theatre scene. That’s the reason I try to tweet every day. That’s why your device is clogged up with notifications from @ManchesterADP whenever you try to check your emails or sneakily crush some candy… So please keep creating wonderful creative, artistic pieces and I will do my best to retweet, reply and heart each and every one of you! If I miss you, I am only a basic cyborg after all, do DM or tweet us and we will do our best to support you!

Thanks for reading and I can’t wait to read all your wonderful blogs soon too! If you have a tale to tell about Manchester ADP, be it your experience as a writer, director, actor, audience member or anything in between, write us an entry and send it to: manchesterADP@gmail.com
​
Thank you wonderful Sophie. And how lucky Manchester ADP is to have you! 

I found out about the plans for Manchester ADP in May last year when I first made contact with Diana Atkins. She had put a message on Facebook asking for information about prospective venues in the Manchester area. 

By August, the first Scripts Aloud was launched at the King's Arms in Salford. Prior to that she and Hannah had established a small group of directors and actors who were prepared to give their time free in order to put on rehearsed readings of new writing. Several writers had submitted scripts for consideration. 

I was fortunate enough to be one of the writers who had a play chosen for the first Scripts Aloud night on August Bank Holiday. An amazing opportunity not only to try out new work but to have immediate audience feedback. Envigorating and a little scary.

The audiences at Scripts Aloud have grown. Nearly every event packed out and it seems like there's an extra row of chairs are added to every performance. 

I had been writing short stories, short plays and some poems for a few years. 
What Scripts Aloud has given me is the incentive to write and develop my work. It doesn't mean that everything I write gets performed. 

Each script is appraised before it is decided whether it is accepted for performance. The appraisers don't know the name of the writer. Appraisers try to give constructive feedback and suggestions for changes or improvements. Feedback is from more than one appraiser. Sometimes appraiser views are polarised - what we call the Marmite effect.  This doesn't mean they don't get performed.  One Scripts Aloud evening was entitled 'The Marmite Evening'  and included four such plays to let the audience decide how they felt about them. 

I've found appraisals generally helpful. Many of the comments probably told me what I knew (or should have known) already. 


I've been lucky enough to have had four pieces performed at Scripts Aloud. It's been amazing and heartwarming to work with some great actors and directors who have allowed me to sit in and actively participate in their three hour rehearsal process that precedes the performance of each play. Their generosity of time and spirit epitomises the cooperative nature of Scripts Aloud. 

I can't thank Diana, Hannah and Lisa enough for their drive, determination, enthusiasm and support. As a writer, it's provided me with a new lease of life. But more than that they've created and fostered an atmosphere of support and cooperation. I've made many new friends and contacts. Scripts Aloud goes from strength to strength, especially with the introdction of fuller length plays. ​

It's wonderful that a network that didn't exist last year has burgeoned so quickly. Long may it flourish.