Today’s the day for the Going West Festival … opening tonight in Titirangi, it’ll be fantastic. But if you can’t make it - if you live in Wellington, for example - there some literary treats on Monday as usual for you.

‘Short/Sharp/Scripts’ is the aptly named Writers on Monday event from the IIML’s MA in scriptwriting course. Ken Duncum’s ten emerging young writers have put together a fast, furious and very entertaining selection of scenes from scripts-in-progress.

They’ve got real live actors (Phil Grieve, Amy Tarleton, Jason Te Kare and Adam Brookfield) who will be whizzing through five scripts in one hour, directed by Kerryn Palmer. This coming Monday the featured snippets will be:

The Club by Lucy O'Brien
Sam just wants someone to eat his lunch with. David's just killed the school bully. What's the price of friendship?

Spleen by Brian Hotter
An old woman held captive and a bereft father are locked in a battle of wills.

The After Service by Gavin McGibbon
Greg and Sandra are trying to deal with their sense of guilt after a friend's suicide. Victor decides one of them doesn't feel guilty enough.

Reunion by Peter Griffin
It's Brigadier O'Brien's big day - until an unexpected guest brings unwanted memories of events on the Phuoc Tuy river in Vietnam 30 years ago.

Barataria by Shahir Daud
Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst come face to face in a bar in pre-revolutionary Cuba. Who's the real Citizen Kane?

Director Kerryn Palmer graduated from Victoria’s Master of Theatre Arts (Directing) programme in 2003. Since then her work has included the award-winning Sniper (2004 Chapman Tripp Awards Most Original Production), When Sun and Moon Collide at Circa Studio, and Exchange at BATS.

This session, and the next will be at the City Gallery on Monday from 1-2pm. It’s free.

But for now, see you at Going West tonight. Yeehar! I do love a festival.