Meant to be Spoken

Robert Reid at fortyfivedownstairs

Writing for the stage is often sadly neglected at writer’s festivals, but we’re so into it that we’re devoting our first Saturday night to a celebration of playwriting. Tashmadada are one of those rare theatre companies that revel in the spoken word and who manage to corral a staggering range of voices under their banner. Deborah Leiser-Moore is the brains behind it all, and you can catch her in conversation with playwright John Romeril at 4pm on Sat 28th, just 3 hours before the main event.

The Festival Club will come alive at 7pm that night with a pretty intimidating lineup of playwrights performing excerpts from their work. Louise Doughty, Stephen Sewell (Animal Kingdom, The Boys), Van Badham, Melissa Reeves, John Romeril (One Night the Moon), Ross Mueller, Peta Tait, Aidan Fennessy & Jane Harrison are all on the bill, with Robert Reid hosting. This is a really unique opportunity to hear these writers interpret their own scripts – how often would audiences get that chance? I reckon it’s a great idea and I’m honestly surprised no one’s thought of it before. Tashmadada have tapped into something special here and we’re just grateful to be able to present Meant to be Spoken at the festival, particularly given its success earlier this year during the Searchlight Festival at fortyfivedownstairs. Have a browse around the Tashmadada site and check out some videos to get a glimpse of what an exciting night this is going to be!