Higginson, Craig (South Africa)

Craig Higginson is a novelist, playwright, theatre director, dramaturge, editor and university lecturer. Craig’s writing and directing have been nominated for and won several awards in South Africa and the United Kingdom, including the Sony Gold Award, an Edinburgh Fringe First and a Naledi Award for Best New South African play. He is the Literary Manager and dramaturge at the Market Theatre and teaches playwriting at Wits. His plays and fiction are represented by PFD literary agency in London. He is currently doing his PhD at Wits University.

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Jeynes, Karen (South Africa)

Karen Jeynes is a writer: of plays, tweets, television, poetry, fiction, radio, and pretty much anything people will pay her for. She has an unnatural obsession with reality television and Nutella. She lives in Cape Town, which is bloody distracting when you’re trying to hit a deadline but the city is basking in the sunshine. She has two boys who are far more entertaining than she is, and frequently teach her new shortcut keys on the computer. She’s optimistically attempting to adapt Jane Austen for her Master’s Degree. She teaches scriptwriting online at www.sawriterscollege.com, and you can follow her @karenjeynes or read her occasional blog at karenjeynes.wordpress.com

Molusi, Omphile (South Africa)

Omphile Molusi is a freelance writer/actor. He graduated from the Market Theatre Laboratory and has been writing and acting for theater since 2001. His theater acting credits include: Itsoseng, Romeo and Juliet, The Mirror, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Much Ado About Nothing, Echoes, Blurring Shine, Julius Caesar, Sharpeville 1&2, and others. His writing credits for theater: Itsoseng (Published by Junkets publishers and Oxford University Press SA, adapted for BBC radio.), For the Right Reasons (Published by Oxford University Press SA), The Sweet Door, and Ijo! Pozeng. Short Story: “Bargain” (Published by Penguin publishers). Writing for TV: Zone 14 series 2. Omphile was the first recipient of the Bret Goldin Bursa-ry. He also won the Scotsman Fringe First Award 2008 for Itsoseng at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. He taught the Cecil Berry voice technique at the Actors Centre and at the Market Theatre Laboratory.

Turner, Gisele (South Africa)

Gisele starting writing original scripts in 1983 when she was part of a two-member company called Handy Spandy Players geared to pre schoolers. From 1990 to 2007 she and her partner Wendy Nell wrote, directed and performed in over 30 original productions in schools in Kwa Zulu Natal. As senior script writer and director for NPO Arley's Workshop from 2002 to 2011 she was responsible for plays such as amagama amathathu, Rain and The Green Revolution. Recently, her work Lucky Strike was runner up in the Trinity College of London International Playwriting Pompetition and her play Woof! Woof! for adolescents has been accepted for publishing by Junket and plays at the I heart Festival in Durban in October 2011. Five of her works (some with co-writers) were featured at a recent Kids Inherit! Festival at the Durban University of Technology.

Twani, Sinethemba (South Africa)

Im a freelance playwright, i wrote my first play named THE BENEFICIARY in 2010 for ArtsCape's New Writting Programme, directed by Fatima Dike. The Beneficiary was also staged at ArtsCape's Spring Drama Festival 2011  and now I am currently writting my second play.

Wentworth, Michael (South Africa)

Michael Wentworth is a writer, playwright, poet, director, producer and a cultural activist. He has written and directed numerous plays and has published a sold-out collection of poetry entitled A Love Letter for the Epoch.

Michael started writing professionally for the stage in 1996 when he was commissioned to write a children's play for the Cultural Calabash Arts Festival. Since then he has written and directed original stories as well as various adaptations and tributes for both young and adult audiences. 

His theatre credits include Baki - an original adaptation of Can Themba's short story The Suit; the musical Torong - A Place To Dream which he also composed; Just Another Friday Night; The Exodus Motel; Inside the Rainbow; The Thirteenth Morning; Live rAge; Progres'; Waiting; and Die Droomdief which was developed and performed with children from the Lettie De Klerk Primary School Arts Project of which Michael is also the co-ordinating facilitator.

Michael is currently busy with a second draft of his debut novel entitled A Tale of Extra Ordinary Madness and as the originator and co-ordinating facilitator for the Lettie De Klerk Primary School Arts Project in Pienaarsig, Nieu-Bethesda.