International Student Playscript Competition

The annual International Student Playscript Competition (ISPC), now in its 35th year, is a small, but important, part of the 55-year-old (British) National Student Drama Festival (NSDF). The ISPC has been particularly blessed with the support of Sir Alan Ayckbourn, England’s most prolific playwright, who judged the final round from the start in 1976 and is now the ISPC Patron. The event is presented by the World Student Drama Trust in association with the NSDF.

The free ISPC is unusual in several respects, being genuinely worldwide, having no restrictions on form, content, length, number of characters or locations and – above all – giving every entry a helpful, encouraging but honest appraisal. There is no limit to how many scripts any student can enter. The closing date for entries is 30 November 2010. The winner receives a cash prize – currently £1,000 - and usually a highly rated, rehearsed reading at the next NSDF, cast from the plethora of talented actors performing in the ten or more, rigorously selected NSDF shows. With the addition of over 100 workshops plus post-show public discussions and talks - all given by highly regarded professionals – the total NSDF experience is extremely stimulating and frequently life-changing. Budding journalists and critics should note that there is a daily news magazine, Noises Off, written and professionally produced each night by anyone at the Festival.

The winner of the 2009 International Student Playscript Competition was Pack Mentality by R K Watson (University of Hull). A rehearsed reading of the play took place in the Stephen Joseph Theatre on Friday 2nd April 2010 as part of NSDF10.

For details of how to enter please see the ISPC website www.isplayscript.org