Writer, Dramaturg and Facilitator Kayleigh on her time with Beyond Face
We Are Here To Write was only the second writing group I joined. I signed up back in April 2021, after deciding to take my writing more seriously. I couldn’t have known then, but it would be the start of not one but three career paths.
Looking back over my CV when sitting down to write this, it’s obvious how integral Beyond Face has been to my journey as a playwright: they’re responsible for my first five credits of staged work — all short pieces, some performed at We Are Here To Write scratch nights and others written for the Youth Company, performed at the Open House event. The importance of this can’t be stressed enough — writers have to start somewhere, and bigger opportunities often need you to have that experience. Beyond that is the validation and confidence in calling yourself a writer that comes from having someone believe in, rehearse and perform your work in a theatre to a paying audience.
Simply having had work on somewhere often leads to more too, and not always in the ways you expect. Our first We Are Here To Write scratch night was at Exeter Phoenix. I’m now back at the Phoenix facilitating a play reading class on Mountview’s new CertHe Musical Theatre course there, which so far has been a joy. Perhaps if I’d never visibly worked in Exeter, I might not have been approached for that job.
This aside, the most important thing about We Are Here To Write is the people. The community that We Are Here To Write has become is something really special. Over the past three and a half years I’ve made friends that I’ll probably stay in touch with forever, been delighted by plays and stories that felt representative of the joy, challenges and depth of Global Majority experiences, and felt seen, heard and supported by everyone in the group.
The fact that it felt only natural to apply to be Assistant Facilitator is testament to that support. It was never something I saw for myself, but We Are Here To Write is a space where you can feel safe in the knowledge that anything you attempt creatively will be met with warmth and encouragement. This isn’t new — back in 2021, writers in the group pointed out that dramaturgy was something I was good at and encouraged me to set my rates and get paid for it.
Working with Corinne last term as Assistant Facilitator was so much fun. It afforded me a greater insight into the inner workings of the group and the work that goes into creating a space like this. Our collaborative writing session, in which we got to co-write together for the first time, was a highlight for me, as was the masterclass with Mojisola Adebayo. Mojisola’s session was single-handedly the most useful and inspiring workshop I’ve ever attended; it felt like an insight into an entire practice — not only a way of making theatre, but a way of being. I was especially grateful for the frankness with which Mojisola demystified the processes of writing and making theatre and the relationship to funding and getting money for your art.
Without Beyond Face, I probably wouldn’t be a dramaturg or a facilitator. Without Beyond Face, perhaps I wouldn’t even be a writer. Having a sustained community of like-minded artists who celebrate each other’s successes, keep each other accountable and come ready to connect with, encourage and explore each other’s writing has been both affirming and vital. Opportunities like the Assistant Facilitator role are the icing on the cake, and who knows where they’ll lead next.
