Windswept Productions presents
The Glamping Project
A digital writing commission
R&D Phase Spring 2014 - Touring Nationally Autumn 2015
The commission
Windswept Productions seek to commission a digital writer to develop/curate and/or write an ‘anti
play’ to Glamping. The anti-play will exist entirely online in a form or forms defined by its
writer/curator, whilst Glamping (written by Murray Lachlan Young) will be a play (part written in
verse) for theatres.
We don't want to narrow the ideas around the digital 'anti-play' too much, apart from saying the
parallel piece will exist online, that it will allow for participant engagement and we are interested in
a work that explores the relationship between the online and live narratives. The online version
might, for example, explore the lives of the characters, or imagine characters that we never see or
hear in the theatre, or it might explore the themes and ideas in a completely different way.
This is a research and development project. Assuming it is successful we will be looking to secure
the funding required to tour 'The Glamping Project' in Autumn 2015.
The anti-play is a key element of 'The Glamping Project' and if we secure the funding and the ideas
developed in the R&D period work well, we will commission the writer to complete the project, for
which an additional fee will be available.
This document gives you all the information you need to decide whether you want to apply!
About the Project
Glamping is going into development in Spring 2014, with a
view to touring nationally in Autumn 2015. The research and
development phase is being supported by South Hill Park
Arts Centre, The Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter Phoenix, North
Devon Theatres, Bridport Arts Centre and Dorchester Arts.
The project is financially supported by Arts Council England
with funds from the National Lottery.
Windswept will develop Glamping and its associated anti-play
through a series of workshops in Spring 2014. The workshop
process will be led by Paul Jepson with the support of a
dramaturg, production team, actors and the digital facilities of
Exeter Phoenix and South Hill Park.
[Picture:Poster image for The Incomers National Tour 2013]
The first research and development phase will take place in Exeter, 17-21 March 2014, followed by
a week at South Hill Park, 2-6 June 2014.
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About Windswept
Windswept Productions are about creating theatre that's new, with more than a nod to the
zeitgeist. We like wicked wit and observation, heightened style and bold invention. We mix up
dance, drama, verse and creative talent. We like theatre that provokes, challenges, makes you
laugh out loud and that leaves you wanting more.
Windswept's first production was Murray Lachlan Young's The Incomers, which toured nationally in
April and May 2013, and ran for a week at London Pleasance Theatre.
In 2013 The Incomers gave:
26 performances (13 of which sold out) in 11 venues and was seen by over 2375 people.

Average attendance was 83%.
For online feedback on The Incomers see here and for more information about the show and tour
see here. You can find out more about the three Windswept directors (who form the core creative
team) at the end of this document.
Picture: Marketing material from The Incomers tour 2013
About Glamping, written by Murray Lachlan Young
(Pre-workshop treatment – these are the ideas behind the play now – and are subject to change
throughout the development process.)
The yurts are up, the compost loo is ready and punters are on their way.
Harry and Alexia are a mid-thirties couple from Notting Hill in West London. Harry is an investment
banker and keen rugby player. Alexia is a journalist, working for a lifestyle magazine. Alexia is
reporting back on the new craze: Extreme Glamping. Whatever that might be.
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David and Davinda Shanti are on honeymoon. David is a cosmic sound therapist, specialising in
'The Himalayan gong bath ritual' and Davinda is a Reki grand master specialising in distance
healing. They are here to journey with the drum and meet their spirit guides. Whoever they might
be.
Local farmer Teddy George and beautiful daughter Morwenna have diversified –'it goes against the
grain but there you go'. They have rented their fields to life coach and tantric-shaman Gary-'two
feathers'. Whoever he might be.
As this very British dark verse comedy unfolds, we start to look beyond our national relationship
with the great outdoors, into the mental landscapes of aspiration, consumerism, and our
expectations from life and the lengths we are prepared to go to achieve them. In true Murray
Lachlan Young style Glamping will be a darkly funny, satirical investigation into the modern malady
of loss of spirituality and too much choice. Expect reincarnation, astral travel and journeys into the
Shamanic other world.
Picture: Jerome Wright in the 2013 production of The Incomers, photo Pooch Purtill
The commission
The 'digital play' or anti-play development will run in parallel to the R&D on Glamping, so ideas in
one can feed into the other and vice versa.
We are looking for a writer or curator interested in developing cross-platform, digital narratives for
online audiences. We are looking for original ideas and thoughts. We are looking for someone
interested in exploring the relationship between a stage play and a digital play.
We are interested in a writer/curator with their own ideas, who will enrich the creative process
through examining the relationship between the live and the online. As Glamping (the play) will be
part written in verse, we are interested in working with a digital writer/curator whose work and ideas
complements this.
You may already have some experience as a writer in either a digital or theatrical context, and you
will understand and be excited by the potential of the online environment. Essentially though it’s
the quality of your ideas – and their fit – to 'The Glamping Project' which will be key.
The selected proposal will be workshopped alongside Glamping, so both the live and digital
elements should be capable of being workshopped by a company of 4 (2 female, 2 male). The
digital writer will also have access to the facilities of the Digital Media Suites at Exeter Phoenix and
South Hill Park.
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What we are aiming for
The anti-play must work in its own right (without any knowledge of the stage play). Likewise an
audience member who simply enjoys Glamping in its live format will also have a stand alone,
complete experience . But we hope that most of our audience experience both the play and the
anti-play – and that by experiencing them both they get far more.
We want the 'live audience' to leave the theatre wanting to engage with the online narratives. We
want online audiences to become so engrossed in the digital narrative that they seek out the live
experience. We want our venues to encourage their audiences not only to see the show but also
to engage with the online narratives.
We think this area of work has huge potential and is very exciting, and we want to work with a
writer who shares this belief!
How to apply
1. Register your interest as soon as possible – by letting us know your name and email
address. We will then keep you up to date with information on the draft script of Glamping,
and answer any questions you or other applicants may have. You can register your interest
here.
2. Complete the simple application process. As part of the application process we will ask you
to attach:a. Your creative CV
b. An example of your writing (no more than 500 words) on any theme connected to
either the l;oss of spirituality, the challenge of choice…or both..
c. Examples of your digital ‘writing’, these can be in the form of attachments or links to
web sites.
The deadline is 11.59pm on Wednesday 26 February, and the form to apply is live here.
3. The Windswept Creative Team will then shortlist from the applications received. Interviews
will take place in London on Tuesday 3 March between 12 midday and 3pm.
4. The selected writer will be announced on 10 March. There is only one commission
opportunity available at this time.
The creative process for the selected writer
1. You will be asked to attend as much of the Exeter workshop as is feasible, and during that
time to develop a prototype of your idea for testing.
2. Armed with information and ideas arising from discussions during those two days we will
then ask you to develop your ideas. During this period you will have limited access to the
Exeter Phoenix Digital Suite should you need it. The shows director Paul Jepson and
producer Matthew Linley will be in regular touch.
3. You will be asked to produce additional material to test in the second workshop week. The
nature of this material will be agreed by you, Paul Jepson and Matthew Linley in
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collaboration with Murray Lachlan Young. The deadline for the delivery of this material will
be Friday 23 June.
4. You will attend the second workshop week (for an agreed number of days) at South Hill
Park, working with Paul Jepson, the actors and the production team to test your material
alongside the development of Glamping. This could include testing audience
engagement/participation ideas.
5. You will be asked to present a ‘working document’ of your anti-play, taking into account any
changes that occurred as a result of the workshop week and outlining the developments
you would like to make if the project goes further.
What we offer
For this stage of the project we are offering an inclusive fee of £1,500 to cover the time spent
developing the anti-play and your attendance at the workshop (on days to be agreed). The fee has
been part supported by a Theatre in the Cloud bursary, and as a result of this bursary we will ask
you to test a prototype of your idea during the Exeter residency.
In addition we will pay travel expenses to and from both workshops and provide accommodation if
required.
As part of the commission you will receive support and advice from the Windswept Production
team including writer (Murray Lachlan Young), director (Paul Jepson) and producer (Matthew
Linley). You will also be able to access, if required, the technical facilities of South Hill Park and
Exeter Phoenix Digital Suites (limitations apply). During the workshop period you will be able to
test ideas with the actors.
Then what happens?
Assuming a successful outcome on both Glamping the play and the anti-play we will look to
produce a full tour of the combined project in Autumn 2015. As the writer of the 'anti-play' you can
expect a further fee to develop and finish your work, and we will work with you to ensure the final
production incorporates all the elements of your work.
Who are the people behind Windswept Productions?
Paul Jepson
Paul has directed classics, contemporary classics and new plays at the Royal National Theatre
(Life after Life and National Headlines), major regional theatres (including the West Yorkshire
Playhouse, Nottingham and Salisbury Playhouse), new writing theatres (including shows at Soho
Theatre, Finborough Theatre and Southwark Playhouse) and in the West End (associate director
on Fame and Telstar by Nick Moran). He has been joint AD of an Arts Council funded new writing
and site specific theatre company (Fireraisers), an associate of Nottingham Playhouse, a referee
for theatre applications for the Wellcome Trust and is on the board of Northcott Theatre, Exeter.
He is an experienced dramaturg and a published playwright. Recent productions include
Manchester Sound the Massacre (Manchester Library Theatre) and The Incomers (Windswept
Productions).
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Matthew Linley
Matthew is General Manager of Eastern Angles, for whom he has produced over 10 shows in 3
years. He is a Director of Windswept Productions, Phrased and Confused and The Hub Lab
CICs. Previous to that he was a freelance producer and consultant when he produced UK tours for
BadCo (Croatia), Damir Indos Bartol (Croatia), Phrased and Confused (UK), Murray Lachlan
Young (UK), Jammy Voo (UK) and the Bloody Brits (UK). For 10 years he ran arts centres in Bath
(Michael Tippett Centre), Reading (21 South Street) and Leicester (Phoenix Arts). He blogs
regularly at www.matthewlinley.wordpress.com .
Murray Lachlan Young
Stand-up poet, playwright and satirist Murray Lachlan Young is one of the UK's most dynamic and
best-known exponents of spoken-word and stand-up poetry.
His satirical commentaries on the bizarreness of contemporary life are known for their punchy wit,
brooding subtext and occasional attacks of unaccompanied folk song. Murray has played the main
stages at Glastonbury, T-in-the-Park as well as Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and has toured with
The Pretenders, Julian Cope, Morcheeba, The Pet Shop Boys amongst others. He is currently 6
Music's resident poet, the original regular on Sony Gold winning Radio 4 Saturday Live show and a
regular on BBC Radio 2 Culture Show. He writes regularly for The Times, Guardian, Erotic Review
and The Chap Magazine and has been commissioned by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, News
Night, ITV, MTV, Channel 4 and many more. The Incomers was his first full length stage play and
he is currently writing the screenplay for a new version of Under Milk Wood with Rhys Ifans as first
voice.
For further information
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact on Matthew Linley on
windsweptproductions@gmail.com
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Digital Writers Commission - Application Form
Please use this form to apply for the Digital Writers Commission. The deadline for receipt of
applications is 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 February.
To submit your completed application form or if you have any questions about the form or
process please do not hesitate to contact us on windsweptproductions@gmail.com. Thank you
for your interest in this commission and we look forward to receiving your application.
With very best wishes
Murray Lachlan Young, Paul Jepson and Matthew Linley
First Name (s) :
Surname :
Address :
Postal/Zip Code :
Country :
Email :
Contact Telephone Number :
Having read the brief and the description of Glamping please describe your initial creative
ideas for developing the ‘anti-play’ (max 1000 words)
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(Please continue here)
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Describe what online tools you may want to use in developing your narrative and how you
would use the residency weeks to test and develop your ideas (max 500 words)
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Please link up to a maximum of three websites where your online writing/curating is evident.
Alternatively, attach your files in an email to us. Please note this question is not mandatory.
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Please use this text box to describe your role/input on the links given above (max 500 words)
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Please provide 500 words of your own writing on the theme of either loss of spirituality or the
challenge of both. Alternatively provide a web link to online writing/activity on the same themes
written specifically for this application.
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Availability Questions
The following three questions are for planning purposes only and are not part of the
application or assessment process.
We plan to hold the commission interviews in London on Tuesday 4th March between 12 and
3pm.
I would be available for interview in London on 4th March between 12 and 3pm
I would be available for interview via Skype or Google Hangout on 4th March
between 12 and 3pm
I would not be available for interview at that time
Other (please explain in the text box below)
If selected please indicate which of the Exeter residency days you would be able to attend
Monday 17 March
Tuesday 18 March
Wednesday 19 March
Thursday 20 March
Friday 21 March
Please confirm that if selected you would be able to attend all the residency week at South Hill
Park (Bracknell) 2nd - 6th June
I would be available for the residency week 2nd - 6th June
I would be available for part of the residency week 2nd - 6th June
I would not be available for the residency week 2nd - 6th June
If you wish to provide any more information about your availability please do so here (max 500
words)
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(Please continue here)
Equal Opportunities Questions
If you have already registered for information prior to applying you do not need to
complete these questions again. None of this section is mandatory.
How did you find out about the commission?
Via email
Via Twitter
Via Facebook
Via a colleague/friend
Arts Jobs
Idea Tap
A younger theatre
Other website
Via one of our venue partners
Other
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What is your gender?
Male
Female
Prefer not to say
What is your age?
Under 20
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55 or over
What is your ethnic group?
Asian, Asian British, Asian Scottish, Asian Welsh
Black, Black British, Black Scottish, Black Welsh
Mixed
White
Chinese, Middle Eastern, Other Ethnic Background
Prefer not to say
Do you have a disability?
Yes
No
Prefer not to say
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Please send your completed submission to windsweptproductions@gmail.com
www.theincomers.co.uk
www.glampingplay.co.uk
Funded by:
Residency and commissioning partners:
Commissioning partners:
The commission is also supported financially by a bursary from the Theatre in the Cloud project
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