EVENTS> Uk Retreat

International Playwrights' Retreat 2007 - United Kingdom

The Retreat will take place at The Hurst The John Osborne Arvon Centre Shropshire, UK

The Arvon Foundation Website: Shows all Arvon houses - scroll down the page for The Hurst
http://www.arvonfoundation.org/pages/about_arvon/arvon_centres.asp?PageID=7

Dates:
Monday 24th September - Saturday 29th September 2007

Deadline for Applications:
Emailed: to be received by 30 th June,
Postal/mailed: postmarked before 23 rd June

This Retreat is not an official Arvon course and has no Tutors involved.
The organisers are ICWP Members:
Eliza Wyatt (England) and Margaret McSeveney (Scotland)

Please read this information carefully before applying to attend.

This Information Pack and the Application Form can be downloaded from Links at the bottom of this page. Download

About The Hurst (see more   below)

The Hurst is situated in the beautiful Clun Valley in South Shropshire, sixteen miles from Craven Arms. It is set in thirty acres of woodland, with gardens and a lake. The property consists of three buildings: The Clockhouse is the main living area and also houses some bedrooms; the main house contains further bedrooms and the barn, known as The Foyle Studio, provides a space for workshops and readings. There are nine computers and two networked printers. The Hurst has hearing induction loops in all public meeting places and a portable loop is also available. The main work/living space is fully accessible and has a lift and a mobility scooter. The centre can accommodate a personal assistant. There are rail connections to London, Wales, the North, and South West England from Craven Arms, which is eight miles away.

About the Playwrights Retreat:

A chance to work undisturbed in idyllic surroundings and a supportive community,
There will be no Tutor present. There will be opportunities to write; participate in workshops/seminars; attend readings and/or read scripts.

Attendance at morning seminars is optional; to be led by one of you, this is your chance to lead a writing workshop!

There will be group sessions in the evening where we will share, discuss, read work written that day. There will not be actors on hand, so playwrights will be the readers.

9 computers and two printers are available, so if you can bring a laptop computer that would be a great benefit.

Some light food preparation will be required of all participants, so please be prepared to assist with this once or twice in the week.

SCHEDULE:

Participants will arrive after 4.00pm on Monday .
The Retreat will begin with a brief get-together at 6.30pm followed by dinner.
The first session takes place after dinner, when the organisers will give a general outline of the proposed activities for the week and invite comments and suggestions from participants.

The Retreat will end on Saturday morning.
It is greatly appreciated if everyone can leave by 10:00am.

COST:

The Total cost is   £200 (US$395.00) inclusive of food and accommodation.

For those who receive confirmation of their place on the retreat:  

Deposit of £100.00 (US$ 195.00, €149.00 ) deadline - 21st July May 2007
Balance of £100.00 (US$ 195.00 €149.00 ) deadline - 21 st August 2007

(UK playwrights will be asked to send cheques; overseas playwrights will be able to pay by International Money Order, or by credit card on the ICWP Website; details will be provided along with your notice of acceptance)

The Retreat is partly ICWP sponsored. ICWP members may apply for a Professional Development Grant from funds set aside for this purpose.
Please check the grants page for information.
 
PLACES:

There are 14 places available, and the aim of the retreat is to attract a wide spectrum of playwrights from many different countries.

In order to take account of longer mailing times from outside the UK, and the limited facilities for those with disabilities, places will not be allocated on a first come-first-served basis. If more than 14 playwrights apply, then the organisers will use the completed application forms to ensure as wide a geographical mix and equal opportunity as possible.

The following provisional allocations will be reviewed once all applications are in.
6 places will be available for playwrights from UK and Ireland.
8 places will be available for Overseas Playwrights.

Important Information About The Hurst - from their own brochure:

Telephones

Please note that mobile reception at the Hurst is poor.
There is a payphone in The Clock House: 01588 640987 .
If anyone wants to reach you, please ask them to call on this number.
In the event of an emergency you can be contacted via the office phone on 01588 640658 .

Things To Bring

Towels, paper and pens are essential.

We also recommend some form of waterproof footwear and a torch .

We have a small number of computers which run Microsoft Windows XP available for you to use. However, if you have a laptop, we strongly recommend that you bring it with you.

If you wish to transfer data from your laptop to our machines in order to print, we have a small number of memory sticks but again, if you have one yourself please bring it with you.

Please note that there is absolutely no internet access for course participants . No really, when we say there is absolutely no internet access for course participants , we mean there is absolutely no internet access for course participants .

We have a reference library at The Hurst, but please bring copies of any materials that you think will be useful to you. Our poetry library in the Foyle Studio has been kindly donated by David Hart. There is also a bookshop where the tutors' books are on sale.

Note
The Arvon Foundation cannot accept responsibility for any loss sustained by students as a result of any event or circumstance (whether arising from natural causes, human agency, or otherwise) beyond its control.

Arriving
Everyone coming on a course is responsible for finding his or her own way to The Hurst.
All courses start on Mondays.
Please do not arrive at The Hurst before 4:00pm.
The first meeting usually takes place at 6:30pm.

Arriving By Car
The Hurst is situated about eight miles west of Craven Arms on the B4368 between Clun and Clunton.

Head for Craven Arms on the A49, between Craven Arms and Shrewsbury. At The Craven Arms Hotel take the B4368, signposted Clun. Pass through Aston on Clun, Purslow and finally Clunton; one mile beyond Clunton you will see a white house on your right. Just past this is a left hand turn into our driveway (signed to Hurst Mill Farm).

From Wales, or via Bishop's Castle, head for Clun on the A488. In Clun take the B4368 signposted Craven Arms. After one mile you will come to a right hand bend with a black and white chevron warning sign - the right hand turn just round the bend is The Hurst driveway (signed to Hurst Mill Farm).

Once you are on the drive, go over the little bridge and fork right. At the top swing left for The Clock House. Unload here before being directed to the main car park.

Arriving By Public Transport

The nearest station is Craven Arms, a fairly well serviced station on the main line between Manchester and Cardiff.

Unfortunately the bus and taxi services in the area are rather limited, but we can arrange to meet trains at the station between 3.15pm and 6.15pm. Please contact us the week before your course starts if you do need transport. For the return journey we are usually able to arrange lifts among the writers attending the course, taxis can be ordered if necessary.

The Hurst

Set amongst Houseman's 'blue remembered hills' in thirty acres of gardens and woodland, The Hurst is an eighteenth century 'Gentleman's Residence'. Formerly the home of playwright John Osborne, it is Arvon's newest residential writing house, offering modern facilities in a peaceful and timeless environment. The centre comprises part of the Main House, The Clock House, and The Foyle Studio.

We are working towards making The Hurst as accessible as possible. The Foyle Studio and The Clock House are fully accessible for wheelchair users. Hearing induction loops have been fitted to all of the communal areas. Our minibus has a wheelchair ramp.

The Hurst operates a no-smoking policy inside the buildings .

Staff

The Centre Directors at The Hurst are Kerry Watson and Peter Salmon. The Administrator is Dan Pavitt. Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any queries regarding the retreat, your travel arrangements or any specific medical or access needs.

Visitors should also be aware that Alfie, a Collie dog belonging to Andrew and Meryl Williams (our neighbours in the Coach House), and a horse named Merlin also live at the Hurst. We politely request that you do not feed Merlin .

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Additional Travel Information provided, by the retreat organisers as a guide only:

Below is some information about airports and train services you might use.

This is provided only for location, cost and time guide. Times and costs may change before September 2007. The information below should not be relied upon as an accurate   prediction of available services.

Please note that there are normally Coach services between airports and city centre train stations, which are much cheaper than trains, but journey times are longer.

Nearest Train Station to the Hurst - Craven Arms Station is on the main line from Manchester to Cardiff and the train operator is Arriva Wales Trains.

Arriva Wales Trains
Website - in English
http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/home.aspx?LangType=1033

London Airports:

Heathrow http://www.heathrowairport.com/
Stansted http://www.stanstedairport.com/
Gatwick http://www.gatwickairport.com/

Transfers:
Best London station for travelling to Craven Arms is Paddington Station
London Example:
Train:
London Paddington Station - Craven Arms
1 change at Newport, Gwent.
Duration: 3hrs 5 minutes or 3hrs 35mins
Duration Return journey Saturday 29th: Craven Arms to London Paddington 4hrs 15mins or 4hrs 35mins (fewer trains available Saturdays)
Cost:
Varies from £21 ( 2 single tickets @ £11.50 - which is much cheaper than buying a return) to £51 Saver return, £150 standard open return.

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Manchester Airport
Destinations
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/app/Destinations

Transfers:
TRAIN - Manchester Airport Station to Manchester Piccadilly   (City Centre)
Journey time: 20 minutes
Four trains per hour.

Manchester Piccadilly to Craven Arms( on main Manchester to Cardiff line )
Arriva Wales Trains
Trains run once per hour.
Direct - no changes
Journey time: approx 1hr 47 minutes
Cost:   between   GBP£ 28.40   (US$   56.00, € 43.00) (not useable Fridays and some holiday Saturdays) and GBP£34.60, (US$ 66.30, € 55.00 ( useable any day of week)

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Birmingham Airport
Destination Guide
http://www.bhx.co.uk/page.aspx?type=XIjXBAF5U%20Y=&id=kQxruBUFPws=

Transfers
Air-Rail Link to Birmingham International Rail Station
every 2 minutes- journey time 2 minutes - free

Birmingham International Station to Birmingham New Street Station (city centre)-
Journey time 10-20 minutes
Services are less frequent in the evenings and at weekends;

Train from   Birmingham New Street Station - Craven Arms
USE Arriva Trains Wales
1 Change - at Shrewsbury
Journey time: 1 hr 47 minutes

Saturday Trains:
Please note that there are fewer trains running on Saturdays than on weekdays and that journey times can be longer due to trains making more frequent stops
Craven Arms to Birmingham New Street on Saturdays - Total journey time   varies from   1hr 29 minutes to 1hr 58 minutes.

Average return ticket cost =   GBP£17.00 (US$33.00, € 25.00)

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Cardiff Airport - has a limited range of International connections
Destination guide:
http://info.cwlfly.com/en/content/2/267/destinations.html

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For more information about the retreat email: Eliza Wyatt <elizawyatt(at)hotmail.com>