"It was great being a judge. I had a fantastic time and feel Writer’s Avenue’s events 

are a great opportunity for new writers. I will be spreading the word!”

Bola Agbaje – (Award winning playwright)

“The Final Stage was a really enjoyable evening of three new play extracts, a great opportunity to see new plays 

performed by interesting casts, and an excellent chance for emerging writers to have a showcase 

for their work.  It was great to be part of the judging panel and I hope that Writers 

Avenue goes from strength to strength in its championing of good new writing. “

Sarah Hughes (Casting Director)

“The experience of writing for the first twenty minutes was a good one. It enabled me to see my 

work performed to a high standard, receive useful feedback and then go on to re-write 

it for The Next Stage. The feedback from Writer's Avenue themselves was particularly

 useful and I took many of their ideas on board and incorporated them into my next draft.

 I feel as a direct result from my work with Writer's Avenue, I have grown considerably as

 a writer and learnt a lot about the whole process of putting on a short play.

 I would strongly recommend Writer's Avenue to good emerging writers”.

Clare Shaw (Finalist writer in The Final Stage)

"The First 20 Minutes is a great initiative from the dynamic new company Writers Avenue. 

It helps writers hone an invaluable skill - how to hook the audience and state your

 theme at the beginning of a piece of drama. It was a complete pleasure to be involved."

Philip Gawthorne- (screen writer and playwright)

  “As an actor, both scripts I've performed have been of a high quality and 

the directors and fellow actors have been excellent. The Writers Avenue productions move from 

first read through to performance in a very short space of time and that is an exciting 

challenge for the cast. But most importantly of all, the large audiences have enjoyed 

and been stimulated by the material they have seen performed”

Pete Picton (Actor in The First 20 Minutes)

I was delighted to be asked to be part of the panel for Writers Avenue, and found it 

exciting having the opportunity to see new writing in such an intimate setting. 

Writers Avenue offers a great platform for new writers and actors and I am proud

 to be associated with such a project! I am looking forward to my 

next venture with Sandra and the team, they are a joy to work with.

David Lazenby (literary and acting agent from Richard Stone Partnership)

What a fantastic turn out as well, and a great atmosphere. David Hare once said 

that a day spent in a rehearsal was worth a week spent sitting alone in a room trying

 to create. Well, twenty minutes in front of a live audience is worth even more

 than that - it cuts through to the chase to what works. No amount 

of readers reports and workshops can substitute for that'

Nicholas McInerny (screen writer)

 “Writer's Avenue is a fantastic training ground for young actors and script writers alike. 

 It provides not a wonderful opportunity to meet other industry professionals in a 

hugely supportive and highly organised company, but also the chance for 

actors to work in direct consultation with writers in exploring their new and exciting work”.

Sophie Laughton: (Actress in The First 20 Minutes)

Writers Avenue is a great opportunity for me to work with new writers and actors. 

They were organised supportive and I was extremely impressed with the quality of people involved from the top down. 

I would be delighted to work with again"                   

Adam Morley  (Director guild of Great Britain. Cannes Lion winner, Editor’s Choice winner Edinburgh festival ).

“Because the way Writers Avenue is structured allows me to develop my work 

over time, testing it at various stages - I have been able to continuously develop 

my work in the place it really matters - the theatre. Writers Avenue are 

a great resource for writers - helping them find and refine their voice”.

Dan Horrigan (Finalist writer in The Final Stage)

"Writers Avenue seems to be a wonderfully creative organisation encouraging 

the right work in the right areas.  They use and involve people at the 

top of their game and put them into a competitive spirit which 

brings out some of the best creative results I have been involved in 

as an actor.  When you consider the funding cuts the arts are currently 

undergoing, I think it is becoming more and more important that we 

focus this funding to the organisations that have the right attitude, 

the right people, and the right ambition, as well as people that can be trusted 

with it, and I can wholeheartedly say that Writers Avenue is one 

of the few organisations I have come across that I would trust with this mantle. “

Adam Berry (Actor in Face the Camera and Smile by Dan Horrigan)