Scripting Aloud is a not-for-profit script development platform and staged reading event that helps writers generate pitchable, multi-genre, narrative scripts from a cross-cultural perspective, including feature-length/full-length, short form/one-act, or episodic material.
We are a live public event for actors to hone their cold reading ability, and a cross-cultural creative networking forum.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Canada — on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
THEN: Scripting Aloud ran as a seasonal monthly community event 2005–2007.
NOW: Scripting Aloud resumes readings in 2018 and is now run by a registered BC not-for-profit organization, the Pan Asian Staged Reading Society (PSRS). We’ll pursue event partnership and sponsorship opportunities with other non-profit and arts and culture groups in Metro Vancouver, with seasonal monthly programming slated to include story development and performance/production workshops, discussion panels, and other cross-promotional events.
Mandate
The Pan Asian Staged Reading Society (PSRS) produces Scripting Aloud, a series of staged reading events that encourage cross-cultural collaboration through helping develop more diverse, inclusive scripted content of all lengths, for all platforms — by and for diverse content creators, performers, and producers — that reflect the evolving creative and cultural landscape of Vancouver and Canada. We provide the following specific opportunities:
- Development: Participating writers hear their scripts read aloud by trained performers to discover what works, and what doesn’t — lifting the text off the page with tone, resonance, and emotion, to provide a better understanding of how a piece lands, and to discover deeper levels of subtext. Participating performers hone their script analysis and cold reading skills in a live audience environment, and showcase their talent to industry attendees.
- Talkbacks: Participating writers and producers gauge live audience reaction and obtain feedback in moderated Q&A sessions following the readings.
- Live coverage: Participating producing organizations and individuals explore new, diverse work with low-to-no cost or risk, to decide if and how a script may be suitable for further development or full-scale production.
- Partnership: Partnering and sponsoring organizations work with us to stage live reading events and provide script development, story development, and production incentives aligned with their programming and goals, and with our mandate and mission.
See our official constitution: PSRS Constitution June 2018
Mission
Scripting Aloud provides outreach to emerging and mid-career writers of pan Asian and mixed heritage, and creators of diverse and inclusive content, providing access to a vital resource for script development — the opportunity to hear an advanced script draft read aloud by trained performers, and obtain audience feedback — often unavailable without significant individual public funding or private investment.
Scripting Aloud also provides performers the opportunity to hone and showcase their craft; provides producers and partnering organizations with lower cost, low risk access to more diverse content and content creators, and a platform to gauge the suitability of specific properties for further development or production.
See our official constitution: PSRS Constitution June 2018
History
A similar event originally debuted in May 2005 for Asian Heritage Month explorASIAN festival as a one-off literary reading, by and for for writers and performers of colour (organized by Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop co-founder Jim Wong-Chu).
The evening’s unexpected success prompted two participants — Scripting Aloud co-founders Grace Chin and Kathy Leung — to keep doing it, more often.
With venue support from Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre founder Joyce Lam, Scripting Aloud’s first staged reading took place August 2005 and it became a seasonal recurring event on the third Monday of every month.
The event featured only original script drafts selected from an open submissions process, cold-read live by actors cast on the day, and with plenty of visible diversity on the page and in the room.
Scripting Aloud initially went up at Behind the Scenes performing arts bookstore and coffee shop on West Broadway (at Alberta St.) in Vancouver, moving in July 2006 a few blocks east to Our Town café at East Broadway and Kingsway.
The event stayed at Our Town until December 2007, when it went on indefinite hiatus while its founders pursued other projects.
Fast-forward a decade to May 2018. Scripting Aloud returns as a series of cold-read, staged reading events and a script development platform produced by a registered British Columbia not-for-profit organization, the Pan Asian Staged Reading Society (PSRS).