Beyond our many writing and reading groups, there are a number of related groups that are less easily categorised, including spoken word and theatre groups. We have listed some of these below, because they deserve to be known about!
If you’re interested in joining any of the groups, or if you know of a group that we haven’t included (or spot any out of date information), please get in touch using the contact form provided.
Brave New Words (Dumfries)
Co-funded by Wigtown Festival Company, Brave New Words is The Stove’s monthly open mic night for writers, artists, musicians and songwriters to share words, spoken or sung, to an audience in the heart of Dumfries town centre.
Brave New Words has held host to some of Scotland’s biggest names in the spoken word scene as well as hosting workshops with schools and community groups on creative writing, spoken word and performance.
Hosted every last Friday of the month by Stovie Martin O’Neill, Brave New Words encourages anyone, no matter who they are, to share their words with the public. The event seeks to provide a platform for the people of Dumfries to share their voice, provoke, inspire, experiment and break stigma.
For more information, follow their page on Facebook, or check The Stove’s events page for the latest event details.
Buskers
A spoken word and performance company celebrating the creative processes of women writers, performers and storytellers. We work with writers, musicians and artists of any gender who want to experiment. Buskers aims to have something distinctive to say and an entertaining way of saying it. Buskers was set up in 2015 by Vivien Jones and Carolyn Yates.
Recent work: 2018 Transgressions. Two short plays, written by award-winning writer Vivien Jones and directed by Mark Alexander, take a sideways look at what happens when people ignore what’s expected of them. Supported by DG Unlimited and DG Arts Live.
2017 A Different Kind of Revolution. A rehearsed reading of four new plays on a theme, written by Vivien Jones, Grant Redmod, David Blaine and Carolyn Yates. Supported by the Theatre Royal, Dumfries, and Wigtown Book Festival.
2017 Playwrights Scratch, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival. Workshopping with writers, actors and a director.
For the latest updates, you can follow them on Facebook.
Spoken Word (Wigtown)
A monthly spoken word/performance poetry open mic night for writers, poets or playwrights looking to practice public speaking, discuss work or pieces that inspire them. Readers can perform whatever inspires them in literature. Writers are invited to read out work for useful feedback or just to hear how it sounds.
Spoken word is a performance art that is word based, focusing on the aesthetics of word play and intonation and voice inflection. It is a ‘catchall’ which includes any kind of poetry recited aloud, including hip hop, jazz poetry, poetry slams, traditional poetry readings and can include comedy routines and ‘prose monologues’.
Spoken Word meets on the last Thursday of the month at 7pm in Craft Hotel, Wigtown. All welcome, including those who just enjoy listening to spoken word.
Follow Craft Hotel’s Facebook page for the latest updates.
Performance Collective Stranraer
Performance Collective Stranraer is a new group creating opportunities for young theatre talent aged 17 to 30, existing as a conduit for young people’s ambitions.
The group aims to harness what group members already desire and extend their reach, working with other artists (peers) to develop collaborative practices, and experienced artists to improve their skills.
The group makes shows, hosts workshops and runs mentoring programmes.
For more information about PCS and their first show REMOTE CONTROL (made in collaboration with the National Theatre of Scotland), follow this link.
Galloway Writers' Room 