If you’ve ever been sitting about listening to t’wireless thinking, “This oughta be crazier!” now’s your chance to make it happen.

Radio New Zealand is launching its inaugural Creative Writing and Community Drama Season under the auspices of one Wayne Widdowson, their new drama producer. RNZ is quite sure there are great NZ stories dying to be told and Wayne’s role is to ‘point the mic towards them’. He hopes ‘not only to make radio drama more accessible and entertaining to a wider audience, but to build a strong relationship between Radio New Zealand drama and individuals, groups and organisations working within the community’.

If you’re 16 or over and have a story you’d like to write or are interested in acting, then Wayne would like to hear from you. You can write a play, short story or poetry piece and, as long as it’s between 25-30 minutes in length, it’ll be considered.

From the last week in May you’ll be able to register online at the Radio NZ website or by visiting their Auckland or Wellington offices. The season officially launches on 9th June 2004 and writers will have until 25th August 2004 to write and submit a piece. Then there’ll be auditions towards the end of the year, and the Season is aiming to broadcast over a 9-month period from January to September next year.

All writers will receive a support pack that will consist of material on writing and performing for radio, an introductory letter and registration form and a script template that can be accessed via post or the Internet. RNZ drama will also provide the production facilities to produce the plays selected for the season as well the marketing, media, and Internet resources to promote them. Furthermore, there will be a series of workshops available to help you on your way. Dates for these will become available soon – watch this space.

With nearly half a million New Zealanders tuning in, and an Internet audience from the Pacific and around the world, this could be your shot at broadcast glory! Ponder the wonder of Radio New Zealand not one moment longer! Go, write!

For further info, contact Wayne at wwiddowson@radionz.co.nz.