For 5 weeks I have hosted a group of 10 writers at my house, teaching a Writing Master Class. The class was mostly professionals in the industry, an amazing group – sometimes things just work.
Each week we’d read, theorize, do exercises, and discuss a new topic: Structure, Tension, Character, Language. The class was so smart that we’d quickly jump to the next level of complexity: Yes, we get 3 act structure, but how do African story forms pull against this? What are the alternatives to heavily Judeo-Christian moral resolutions?; What ways can we break apart language, departing from a heavy tradition of naturalism in South African theatre, to speak about our fractured, post-apartheid lives?
Perhaps most striking from the group was that we created a community of writers/artists who share the similar values and now a common language. A diverse group: Nigerian, Zambian, British, Congolese, American, South African – yet connected by a desire for new and fresh art – to break out of our cages. We’ll keep meeting. Watch this space.