Local student finalist in scriptwriting competition

Members of the public are being invited to vote for the winners of a new script writing competition

We are so pleased that local degree student Issy Thompson, who studies Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) at Argyll College with the University of the Highlands and Islands, has been selected as one of five finalists in this exciting creative competition in collaboration with Scottish theatre company, The Grey Hill.

Issy tackles the important but still often taboo subject of mental health in a down-to-earth and relatable way in Waiting for Duggo, inspired by Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

On the experience of taking part in the collaborative competition, Issy said:

“I have realised that besides this opportunity to showcase my work, I have been given a platform to vocalise important issues to me. Throughout the process, I have discovered that there is something totally different from writing a short story or a poem to the process of writing a script and handing it over to the actors for them to animate. The characters that you sketch out are made complete by the voice actors.”

Now that the entries have been whittled down to five finalists, the public is invited to watch the video submissions and vote for their favourite.

The winner will receive an opportunity to become a published playwright, working with multimedia Scottish theatre company, The Grey Hill. Voting closes on Monday 17 May.

Barry Robertson, Founder of The Grey Hill said:

“New writing is at the heart of our partnership with the University of the Highland and Islands. Through this script writing competition, we have had an opportunity to really connect with people in diverse geographical locations and we have found real emerging talent.

“Their work really highlights the richness in stories and ideas that the region has to offer to the creative economy and wider community. Please do watch or listen to the performances and vote for your favourite story.”

Each of the finalists’ scripts has been performed by degree students studying drama and production at our partner college Inverness College UHI.

To listen, watch and vote for Issy and the other finalists in the script writing competition, visit www.uhi.ac.uk/en/script-writing-competition or www.thegreyhill.com/scriptcomp