Borough's budding playwrights in chance to see their work performed on stage

Aspiring playwrights in Leigh, Atherton and Tyldelsey are being invited to write a script based on this image of a tree in blossom, by the Royal Exchange Theatre. The winner will get their play produced at Leigh Spinners Mill

The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester wants aspiring writers from Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley, to take part in their contest called Local Tale, which is being run in conjunction with Leigh’s Local Exchange Ambassador Group.

The judges are looking for an original 10-30 minute play which, as a starting point, should respond to the image of a tree in blossom.

The winning play will be produced and performed in the Den, the Royal Exchange’s mobile theatre which will take up residency in Spinners Mill, Leigh this May as part of the ongoing Local Exchange programme.

The deadline for submissions is Monday March 23.

The competition is open to anyone who wants to share their story with an audience, entrants do not need to have any playwright experience, just a passion for storytelling and a great tale to tell.

For budding writers who need a little inspiration or support the Royal Exchange have developed a free resource pack which is available online.

They will also be holding two free workshops at Spinners Mill on Tuesday January 28 at 6pm - 8pm and Saturday February 1 between 3pm - 5pm.

The workshops will be run by the Royal Exchange Theatre’s award winning Dramaturg Suzanne Bell, who has worked with writers such as Simon Stephens and Maxine Peake and through the Bruntwood Prize has developed work with Anna Jordan whose winning play Yen has toured internationally and whose writing work includes the HBO series Succession.

Suzanne Bell said: “We are delighted to launch this brilliant competition today and I cannot wait to see what stories the people of Leigh, Astley and Tyldesley want to tell. Theatre is a brilliant celebration of the imagination and a playwright can transport their audience to anywhere and any time through beautiful stories and vivid characters.

“The key to telling a good story or to writing a great play is to keep asking questions, be curious and listen. All you need is a passion for people and storytelling.

“For anyone who thinks it might not be for them I’d encourage them to come along to one of the sessions at Spinners Mill and find out a bit more about writing for the stage.”

Louisa Brown, Leigh Ambassador, said: “We came up with the idea for a playwrighting competition because we wanted to give the people of Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley the opportunity to showcase their talent and to work with the Royal Exchange within their own community.”

To find out more on how to enter, and entry rules, visit royalexchange.co.uk/localtale