The Writers’ Collective

“ … We are striving to reinvest in the grassroots of theatre and storytelling by empowering writers during this very difficult time.  We are nothing, we have nothing, without stories in the theatre, so we hope that out of this initiative will c…

“We are nothing, we have nothing, without stories in the theatre, so we hope that out of this

initiative will come some contemporary South African stories that reflect our global society

and people today,”

Julie-Anne McDowell | Founder How Now Brown Cow

The Writer’s Collective

Encourages the generation of new South African stories for the stage from established and emerging

South African playwrights.

Launched in 2020 during the Covid Pandemic, The Writers’ Collective commissioned 12 first draft

scripts from which several have been nurtured to 2 nd and final draft stages. Renowned dramaturgs

and theatre makers William Nicolson, Greg Homann and Warrick Griffin provided mentorship

for our initial group of 12 writers. 2023 will see two of these plays transfer from the page to the

stage produced by How Now Brown Cow.