Now everyone is using video technology to keep in touch during lockdown, I’m proud to say I’ve been using this throughout my VSO placement in Uganda to continue writing collaboratively with friends at 3-She. Our comedy writing trio began in March 2017 when Sarah Scally, Maria Pruden and I attended a comedy sketch writing workshop. Our sketch Killer Ladybugs was then selected for a scripted reading scratch night at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis.
Flyer from the event in 2017
We continued our comedy writing journey at Sweet in Brighton, where Killer Ladybugs was staged as part of Cast Iron X, the tenth collection of short plays from Cast Iron Theatre. You can read about the experience here.
Screenshot from WritersDuet of Killer Ladybugs
As we worked on new material, travelling across Dorset to meet up became very time consuming so we started using WritersDuet. This professional screenwriting software enabled us to draft our comedies collaboratively while discussing content during WhatsApp video calls.
Impro on WhatsApp!
We’re still collaborating in this way and we are hoping to have a new sketch show ready for rehearsal whenever lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Over the three years we’ve been writing together, we’ve had a sketch included in Short Cuts at Salisbury Fringe and we’ve taken our shows to Dorchester Arts Centre, Bridport Arts Centre and Shaftesbury Fringe. I’m hoping one day we may get to take a show to Edinburgh Fringe!
In the meantime, we also work on individual projects and Sarah has recently enjoyed success with a long listing in the Comedy Women in Print Unpublished Comic Novel Prize. Well done, Sarah!
Watch this space for further developments in our comedy writing collaboration. And, if you know of any venues that may be interested in staging comedy written by women, please pop your suggestion into the comments box. Thank you!
the writer is a lonely hunter 
Sounds like a very creative, not to mention exciting and rewarding venture to be involved in, Gail. Way to go!!
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