Upcoming Dates: Tuesday 28th May

Are you currently grappling with a creative problem linked to your play or idea? Would you like to chat it through with another writer over a hot beverage? We are offering one-to-one 45-minute sessions with leading playwrights. These chats will be a chance to talk over a problem and possible paths forward for your play with an experienced writer, giving you the chance to get a different perspective on your work.

Brainstorm Café will take place at the Centre of Contemporary Arts in Glasgow or online.

You can apply for a slot if you are a playwright based in or from Scotland. As there are limited slots, there’s a short application process to help us select writers for these chats.

Our next Brainstorm Café session is with Sara Shaarawi.

Sara Shaarawi is a playwright originally from Cairo and now based in Glasgow. In 2023 Sara was one of Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland’s Associate Artists and a mentor on our Playwright Mentoring Programme. Sara was also the recipient of a New Playwright’s Award in 2017.

Her first play Niqabi Ninja was produced by Independent Arts Project (Edinburgh) in association with Hewar Company (Alexandria), it opened at Shubbak Festival in London, followed by a Scotland-wide tour and a run at the Edinburgh International Festival. It has also been published as part of Contemporary Plays by African Women (Methuen, 2019). Further work includes; PAL: Your AI Care Companion (Citizens Young Company); The Day the Stampers United (Wonderfools); Sister Radio (Stellar Quines and Pitlochry Festival Theatre). Sara was one of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Break Through Writers in 2016 where she developed Lelah. She was also part of their Starter Programme in 2017 doing research and development on Spithood, a new play exploring police brutality and racism in Scotland. Alongside her writing, in 2017, Sara project managed the Arab Arts Focus showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and partnered with the Workers Theatre to crowdfund and create Megaphone, a new bursary aimed at supporting artists of colour based in Scotland.

Sessions will take place online or in person.

The deadline for applications is 12noon on Wednesday 22nd May.

To apply: Brainstorm Café (jotform.com)