November Club has been commissioned to create a show that tells the history of Otterburn Mill, the textile trade in Northumberland and its global impact. We aim to:

• Engage the local community in the telling of this history 

• Create a theatrical celebration of the history of Otterburn Mill with community participation 

The creative team, including the writer, composer, producer and designer will work with Otterburn Mill, Otterburn Primary School and a steering group of community members with lived experience of working at the Mill, to research the history of Otterburn, The Mill and the tenterframes.  The team will record what we have found and create material based on the historical research.  The project will culminate in an immersive play that draws on the history of Otterburn Mill and its role in the global cloth trade. It will focus on history, legacy and forgotten stories.

The role of the writer will be to lead the research & development elements of the project including undertaking historical research, conducting interviews with a selected group of local people, delivering workshops for Otterburn Primary School and creating a 60 minute script. The writer will collaborate with the creative team and the wider November Club team to realise the project. 

The role includes a combination of remote working, meetings at November Club’s office in Morpeth, and work in Otterburn and surrounding area.

Given the rural and remote geographical location of the project, writers must feasibly be able to undertake work in Otterburn.

We are therefore looking for writers who are resident and/or based in the North East of England and the Scottish Borders. Access to own transport is helpful, but not essential.

Fee

The total fee available is £7,250 plus travel expenses,

Project Timeline

The contract starts on 1 April 2024 and ends by 31 July 2025. 

Application Process

For more information please click on the Application Pack to download details.

For a large print version of the Application Pack, click on this link.

In summary, we require a written, audio or video CV and 10 pages of an existing script.   

Call-out Timeline

Applications open on Thursday 25 January 2024. 

The deadline for applications is 9am, Thursday 15 February 2024.  We will acknowledge receipt of your application by email.  

We will be in touch with people selected for interview by 23 February 2024. 

Interviews will be held on Thursday 28 March 2024.