TEKSTMARKT:
A new Global scriptwring Incubator
Storytelling whether on
stage or in film matters.
The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK), the Embassy of the Netherlands in South Africa, Dutch Performing Arts (a programme by the Performing Arts Fund NL), Dutch Culture, the Netherlands Film Fund and the National Film and Video Fund in South Africa (NFVF) are supporting this unique project which will not only focus on creative skills and new theatre and short film scripts but also a cultural exchange between these two countries on two different continents.
It will also be presented in collaboration with amongst others the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, the National Afrikaans Theatre Initiative (NATi) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
Tekstmarkt is in short a market for scripts or simply script ideas (and should not be confused with the similar South African Teksmark which is aimed at local writers only and will be announced separately). With the Tekstmarkt project South African and Dutch writers – emerging and established – are invited to participate, collaborate and engage over the next few months.
Tekstmarkt, a collaborative scriptwriting initiative between the Netherlands and South Africa, encourages the creative writing process with this new online venture.
Tekstmarkt 2021 Theme
The theme for the first Tekstmarkt is THE OTHER | DE ANDER | DIE ANDER. The Netherlands and South Africa are connected through history. Even though they might appear worlds apart, they are not without meaningful similarities: Afrikaans developed from Dutch, the language that was introduced to the southern tip of Africa when South Africa was still a Dutch colony.
The colonial ties between South Africa and the Netherlands have been explored and discussed on many platforms in both countries. Both countries have a heritage of diversity with people from different backgrounds and cultural groups who at first glance might seem incompatible. But in most instances, this is a strength rather than a negative especially in creative spaces.
The theme of THE OTHER very aptly encourages participants to explore the ideas and concepts of what is perceived as differences or perhaps just not the norm. Like in so many parts of the world, the populations of the Netherlands and South Africa, all of whom are citizens, represent a mini united nations.
The theme of THE OTHER hopefully encourages creatives to explore, investigate and delve into all the perceptions of religion, gender, race, politics, belief systems, culture etc. Who is “the other”? In a world where tolerance is diminishing, how do we become more tolerant and more inclusive of the cultures, vision, desires, and dreams of others? How do we engage and embrace the other and enhance their and our experience of the world together? How do we gain from each other’s experiences rather than view them as negative?
With the theme of THE OTHER | DE ANDER | DIE ANDER as background, the inaugural Tekstmarkt aims to investigate some of the challenges facing both countries, to find common ground and tolerance. Because, often, differences are what connect us and the similarities provide the connective tissue.
All playwrights and scriptwriters, emerging and established, are invited to participate in the project, which will be presented in different phases over the next 12 months.
13 to 17 September 2021
Exploration of the theme of THE OTHER | DE ANDER | DIE ANDER
This is a general introduction to the theme of THE OTHER | DE ANDER | DIE ANDER and focusses on a series of talks and discussions with different role-players (activists, journalists, social workers, and academics) from different walks of life in both countries, to unpack various viewpoints of topical subject matters such as gender identity, cultural identity, religious identity, political systems and socio-economic realities.
The aim of this phase is to stimulate and challenge the candidates’ perceptions and thinking and will be presented via Zoom over five days. Registration is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
The full programme will be available 10 September.
Attendance of these sessions are not a prerequisite to enter your script ideas, but we do encourage you to attend and become part of the discussion.
Theater project outline
All playwrights are invited to submit a proposal for a text/script, outlining the theme(s), story, and characters. No scripts/texts that have been previously performed or filmed will be taken into consideration for Tekstmarkt. Ideally, they need to include at least five pages of dialogue. The main proposal must be sent in English, but the dialogue can be in any official language of either the Netherlands or South Africa. The proposals will be evaluated by an independent panel with representatives from both countries. The successful candidates will be notified two weeks after the deadline of submissions.
After the candidates from both countries have been selected to participate, these writers will be mentored by Dutch and South African professionals. There will be individual sessions and group sessions, which will focus on the different disciplines of theatre and short film, while also assisting the writers to develop their ideas. Sessions will include feedback and additional workshops and masterclasses on topics related to their ideas.
Writers pitch their scripts/texts to the group and invited guests (independent festivals, theatres and producers) online. Each pitch will include a short introduction by the writer, a ten-minute reading of an extract from the play, and a question-and-answer session. All participants and mentors will be present, with comments and questions from special guests who have not been part of the process.
A handful of theatre texts (at least one from each country) will be chosen to then be developed into complete plays.
During the final phase, the playwrights of the top two texts will work closely with allocated mentors from both countries in group sessions.
Theatre scripts chosen for development into fully-fledged theatre scripts will receive a fee to develop the full script.
The final texts will be presented as online play readings to invited guests, funders, and other industry role-players. From these sessions, different partners from each country will be able to option these texts for further development into a fully-fledged theatre production.
Theatre scripts chosen for development into fully-fledged theatre scripts will receive a fee to develop the full script.
Film project outline
All film writers are invited to submit a proposal for a screenplay for a short film, outlining the theme(s), story and characters. No scripts/texts that have been previously performed or filmed will be taken into consideration for Tekstmarkt. Ideally, they need to include at least five pages of dialogue for the short film. The main proposal must be sent in English, but the dialogue can be in any official language of either the Netherlands or South Africa. The proposals will be evaluated by an independent panel with representatives from both countries. The successful candidates will be notified two weeks after the deadline of submissions.
After the candidates from both countries have been selected to participate, these writers will be mentored by Dutch and South African professionals. There will be individual sessions and group sessions, which will focus on the different disciplines of theatre and short film, while also assisting the writers to develop their ideas. Sessions will include feedback and additional workshops and masterclasses on topics related to their ideas.
Writers pitch their short film ideas to the group and invited professional guests (funders, film festivals and independent producers) online. Each pitch will include a short introduction by the writer, a short reading of an extract from the short film, and a question-and-answer session. All participants and mentors will be present, with comments and questions from special guests who have not been part of the process.
The short film scripts will thus be presented as a final pitch to possible funders and producers who might be interested in developing and producing these films. Interested parties will be put in touch with one another to discuss further development options with the writers.
Who can enter?
All citizens, 18 years and older, from South Africa and the Netherlands can enter. Simply complete the forms below, and the organisers will be in touch.
Thinktank Programme:
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SESSION 1: 13 September 2021 16:00 to 18:00 (SAST)Introduction of project; discussion about the general theme and focus; Writing for the different disciplines – theatre and film. In conversation with Lot Vekemans and Tertius Kapp. Host: Tshego Khutsoane -
SESSION 2: 14 September 2021 16:00 to 18:00 (SAST)“To have or not to have” Host: Tshego Khutsoane
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SESSION 3: 15 September 2021 16:00 to 18:00 (SAST)The blue and pink of gender Identity
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SESSION 4: 16 September 2021 16:00 to 18:00 (SAST)The spiritual common ground of religion
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SESSION 5: 17 September 2021 16:00 to 18:00 (SAST)Political believes – the boundaries of tolerance
Registration for Thinktank
If you are interested in the webinars in September please register here and the organisers will send you details to these sessions.