Ms Val Taylor
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Scriptwriting |
Val dot Taylor at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 3427 |
Arts Building 1.32 |
Biography
Val is a director, writer, critic, dramaturg/ script development consultant for theatre, film, television and radio, with extensive national and international experience. As a consultant to national organisations on scriptwriter training and development, she directs, manages or advises regional and national development schemes/ festivals/ companies. Her current research focus is on dramatic adaptation.
For UEA, Val:
o Devised, and currently convenes, the Skillset-accredited MA in Creative Writing: Scriptwriting;
o Supervises Creative and Critical PhDs where the creative component is a script or screenplay;
o Devised the BA in Scriptwriting and Performance, for which she teaches workshops, and the undergraduate modules in dramatic writing for theatre and radio, and film and television (Creative Writing: Drama);
o Lectures on dramatic literature, and dramatic theory and practice;
o Devised undergraduate and postgraduate modules in acting and directing.
Outside UEA:
As a writer, Val has co-devised and scripted plays in the UK and South Africa, and books, articles and reviews on aspects of scriptwriting, theatre and television. As a theatre director, she has worked on and off-Broadway, in London’s West End and Fringe, in Europe and the English regions, and has produced two theatre festivals. She is a managing partner of Playwrights East; an associate of Birds Eye View; and consultant to Skillset on screenwriting training. She has previously consulted for Screen East.
Career
Val was development executive/script editor for ITV Anglia/ Eye Film and Television (Best Drama, Creative Norfolk 2005) and script executive for the SeaChange Trust on a First Light project. As a theatre dramaturg and script consultant, she has worked with writers on theatre, television and film scripts, including projects for the National Theatre Studio, Menagerie Theatre Company, Theatre Is/ Greenwich Young People’s Theatre, the Bush Theatre and the BBC.
From August 2006 – January 2008, Val co-directed BREAKOUT (a training & project development scheme for black and minority ethnic filmmakers.) In collaboration with Warp X, the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation, Screen East and UEA, the scheme developed over 15 new low-budget commercial fiction films and feature-length documentaries with 25 filmmakers. (http://www.breakoutdevelopment.co.uk/).
Academic Background
Val Taylor is a director, writer, critic, dramaturg/script development consultant for theatre, film, television and radio. She convenes the Skillset-accredited MA in Creative Writing (Scriptwriting). Val has co-devised and scripted plays in the UK and South Africa, and as a theatre director, has worked on and off-Broadway, in London's West End and Fringe, in Europe and the English regions. As a theatre dramaturg and script consultant, she has worked with writers on theatre, television and film scripts, including projects for the National Theatre Studio, Menagerie Theatre Company, Theatre Is/Greenwich Young People's Theatre, the Bush Theatre, the BBC and Anglia TV. In 2007-8, Val co-ordinated BREAKOUT (a training & project development scheme for black and minority ethnic filmmakers), developing over 15 low-budget commercial fiction films and feature-length documentaries with 25 filmmakers.
